Jackie Freeman’s cookbook story begins—and comes full circle—in Yarrow Point. She grew up in the neighborhood, moved away for college, and returned in 2024 to raise her own family in the same house her father has lived in since the 1970s. “Now my husband Evans and I live in a multi-generational family house along with our three kids--Ava Rose (7), Cole (13), and Jack (17)--as well as my parents, Mel (90) and Nannette (76),” she shares. The home has since been fully remodeled to support their current lifestyle, blending generations under one roof.

Writing a cookbook, she says, was “always a bucket list item.” Her professional path made it a natural fit. Jackie has previously worked for local and national grocery stores, publications, and businesses, where recipe development and food writing were part of her role, and she continued developing recipes for other organizations as well. “My name started to get passed through some mutual friends and that’s how Sasquatch Publishing became my first publisher,” she explains. That first book, Easy Beans, led to another—and then another.

Her career in food has taken many forms. “I’ve also done food styling, been a farmer, cheesemaker, private chef, and worked with restaurants,” she says. That range shows up in her cookbooks, which are intentionally broad yet accessible. “For these cookbooks I’ve tried to make all the recipes fun and approachable for everyone, whether you are familiar with the cuisine or not,” Jackie says. “The cookbooks have recipes inspired from all over the world—Vietnam, Iran, Thailand, Italy, Japan, Mexico, France, etc. I’ve tried to encompass a little bit of everything so people can be adventurous and try new things, and also find their favorite comfort foods.”

Behind the scenes, the process to create a cookbook was far more intensive than it appears on the page. “It’s more work than you might think it’s going to be,” she says. Jackie developed, researched, and wrote every recipe herself, keeping detailed headnotes to reflect how each dish fit into her family’s real-life eating habits. Community played a key role as well. Jackie reached out to neighbors and local connections via local social media groups to test her recipes, ensuring they worked for cooks of all skill levels. “I needed to make sure they worked in real life and that people interpreted the instructions correctly,” she says.

 

At the time, she was living in Issaquah, and the testing process became a way to connect. “It was a neat way to meet new people in my community with cooking in common, while also getting valuable feedback from them at the same time,” she shares. “I made a lot of new friends and reconnected with some old friends that way, too.” Today, those same recipes are woven into daily family life. “Now we often use recipes from my cookbooks to feed our family,” Jackie says. The Freemans cook dinner together five to six nights a week, with the occasional “forage night” where everyone builds their own meal from leftovers. Takeout is reserved for about twice a month, with Thai and Vietnamese favorites.

Seeing her work out in the world never gets old. “The first time I saw one in the wild was in a small town in Washington at a shop we happened to stop into,” Jackie recalls. “I took a picture with it, told the girl at the front desk that it was my book, then signed it and put it back on the shelf so whoever bought it would have a signed copy.” Friends still send her photos when they spot her books locally. All three are available on Amazon and at local bookstores.

For those who feel intimidated by cooking, Jackie’s advice is simple and honest: “Just keep practicing, just like anything else in life. Sometimes things don’t work out and you have to do take-out pizza, and sometimes things are great and will turn into your favorite signature dish.” As for what’s next, another cookbook may be on the horizon—but life is full in the meantime. The family recently completed their home remodel, helped plan the 2025 Yarrow Point Fourth of July events, and is currently building a shop for Evans’ classic car hobby. A trip to Japan is also planned for 2026. “But I think I’ve got one more book in me,” Jackie says. “We’ve been kicking around some ideas. Publishing is a tough business, so we’ll see.”

 

One meal, one pan. This book is intended for family weeknight cooking for 4–6 people with well-balanced meals with proteins, starches, and veggies – easy prep and easy cleanup!