Genuine Skagit Cooking - Meet the authors!

Genuine Skagit Cooking features recipes from food producers, small-business owners, and residents around Skagit Valley, Washington, that highlight the unique cultural diversity of the region. Paired alongside profiles about local farmers and producers, the book paints a vibrant picture of the region's agricultural way of life.

Blake Van Roekel is the director of Genuine Skagit Valley, a program designed to heighten consumer connection to the agriculture of the Skagit Valley. Her 15 years in the farm and food industry of the Pacific Northwest include running a cooking school and farm tour company, starting a farmers market, and consulting for food and farm establishments. She thrives in developing successful communication strategies to grow and gather community. Blake resides in Alger, Washington, where she can be found building forts in the forest with her daughter, gardening, and enjoying the exuberant symphony of geese, goats, and sheep that live next door.
Stefanie LeJeunesse is a queer, Jewish writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in publishing everything from flash fiction eulogies to ghostwritten novels. Her podcast, Cancer for Breakfast, has been featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting, in Portland Monthly, and Shoutout LA. As a community organizer, she founded the Mount Vernon LGBTQ Pride event, the Breast Cancer Care-a-Van, and the Mount Vernon Period Pantry as well as being a founding member of Ladyfest Bellingham and Sunday Assembly Bellingham. She lives in Washington's verdant Skagit Valley with her husband, three children, fancy geese, and beloved dog.

Jessica Gigot is a poet, farmer, and coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. Her second book of poems, Feeding Hour, won a Nautilus Award and was a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award. Her memoir, A Little Bit of Land, was published in 2022.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Village Books and Paper Dreams, 1200 11th Street, Bellingham, United States