Stickers first
He started out selling stickers. That was OK. Then he started making games, because they are fun and he had played a lot of them.
Deal a meal card and play a round
make itsoundtasty.
Three cards. One meal. The whole table votes. Cookdown is the food party game from Trihedra Games in Bellingham, where the cooking takes ten seconds and the arguing takes the rest of the night.The food party game made in Bellingham.
3 to 6 playersAges 6 and up20 to 40 minutes
Choose three cards from this hand, to make the best dinner you can. It won't be amazing, but hey, the combination your opponent makes will probably be worse. Probably.
Game night
Game night was never about the food. It is your friend swearing that pancakes, salsa and a peach is a real breakfast. The table counts down from three. Everybody points. And somehow, it wins.
81ingredient cards in the box
14meal cards that set the rules
1,600copies in the first print run
6Bellingham shops on the stockist list
Card counts from the Cookdown rulebook. Print run from Cascadia Daily News. Shops from trihedragames.com.
The deck
the pantry.
Every card drawn by hand in the same faceted style. Here are a few. Tap one to put it in your hand for the demo round.
Wild Card
Any one ingredient you want. There are two in the box.
Pick up to three. They will be waiting in your hand when you sit down to play.
The meal cards
the card sets
the rules.
Flip one at the start of every match. It tells both chefs what to make, how many cards to use, and whether things are about to get nasty.
Breakfast
Two dishes. One of your three cards gets eaten on the side.
Dessert
Each chef slips one card, face down, into the other chef's meal.
Sabotage
Snack
Two cards instead of the usual three.
Gross
The nastiest food combination wins. Yes, really.
Any Meal
Make any meal you want. The vote is all about taste.
Wild Card x2
Any one ingredient you want. Not a non food item, and not two things at once.
Nothing x4
Nothing is nothing. A plate of it only wins if the table would rather eat nothing.
The demo round
your seat
at the table.
Real rules, real cards, a simulated table. You are dealt seven. Plate your meal, sell it, and let four hungry friends point on three.
Pancakes
Strawberry
PeachA Breakfast card means two dishes. Pancakes and strawberry go together, the peach is eaten on the side. Your rival plates steak, salsa and corn and tries to call it breakfast. Everybody points on three, and the winner collects the meal card for one point.
How a match works
four steps.
that is the game.
1
Flip a meal card
Both chefs see what they are making and which special rules apply.
2
Pick three
Everyone holds seven. The two chefs choose the three that make the best meal, then reveal together.
3
Sell it
Toasted? Sandwich? All smashed together in a hopefully delicious mess? Describe it and argue.
4
Point on three
Everyone points up, someone counts down, and every arm drops toward the better meal.
winner collects the meal card.
Each meal card is one point. The winner stays on and takes on the next player, hands get refilled, and when the cards run out the most points wins. Lost your copy of the rules? Read the updated rulebook.
The maker
one guy.
every card.
Jimmy Rust started Trihedra Games in Bellingham. He designed every card himself, tested the game at lunch with friends and at home with his brothers, and found a factory to print it.
“There are so many combinations that every game is different and new. It’s always fun to see how people think about food.”Jimmy Rust, in Cascadia Daily News
From notebook to shelf
The first real game
Years of game ideas, and this is the one he decided to finish.
Played to death
Fine tuned over lunch hours with friends and at home with his brothers. He has played it hundreds of times.
1,600 boxes
The first print run landed in Bellingham. He was still in high school.
Local first
Stocked in Bellingham shops, on Etsy and on Amazon, and listed on BoardGameGeek.
Trihedra keeps going
Flavorful gameplay wrapped in a triangular art style. Join the list below to hear about the next one.
What people say
a real game.
on real shelves.
“It’s such a creative & fun game! The artwork is awesome! Love playing as a group, especially with all the foodies!”
Etsy buyer, May 2024“They have to sell it. The other person says their thing and there’s arguing and debating. Everyone who’s not playing gets to vote.”
Jimmy Rust, Cascadia Daily News, Sept 2023“Anything local here, especially stuff like Cookdown that we’re really excited for, it’s always cool to have.”
Braden Breniser, The Comics Place, in Cascadia Daily NewsLaunching SuccessFairhaven Toy GardenYeagersVillage BooksThe Comics PlaceCosmic Games
EtsyAmazonBoardGameGeekMade in Bellingham81 ingredient cards14 meal cards
Where to buy
bring it
to game night.
$15 a box. Order more than one and shipping is free.
Straight from Trihedra
Etsy $15
Ordered straight from the Trihedra Games shop, based in Bellingham. The closest thing to buying it from the guy who drew the cards.
Buy on EtsyFast checkout
Amazon
Already have an account and want it at the door? The Amazon listing is the quick way.
Buy on AmazonIn Bellingham
Local shops
- Launching Success1707 N State St
- Fairhaven Toy Garden909 Harris Ave
- Yeagers3101 Northwest Ave
- Village Books1200 11th St
- The Comics Place105 E Holly St
- Cosmic Games3930 Meridian St
Call ahead to check stock before you drive over.
Questions
before you deal.
How many people can play?
Three to six. Two people cook each match and everyone else votes, so more players means a louder table.
How long does a game take?
Usually 20 to 40 minutes. The game ends when the cards run out.
Is it good for kids?
It is made for ages six and up. If you can read an ingredient and point at a plate, you can play.
What is in the box?
81 ingredient cards, 14 meal cards and one rulebook.
What happens on a tie?
Someone outside the game breaks it. If nobody is around, the win goes to the player who did not win the previous match.
Can I add seasoning to my dish?
Yes, as long as it does not overwhelm the dish and change the flavor completely. Describing how it is served is half the game.
I lost the rulebook.
The updated rulebook lives on the Trihedra site. Open the rulebook.
For Jimmy, from Nathan
your game deserves a page this good.
This is a second pass at the Cookdown page. The first one taught the game. This one lets people play it. Everything here comes from your site, your rulebook, your Etsy shop and the Cascadia Daily story. Your real box, your real card art and your own photo are all on it.
What changed
- The box turns in 3D in the hero, built from your own box photo.
- A playable demo round built on the updated rulebook: Sabotage, Two Dishes, Snack, Gross, Any Meal, Nothing, the tie rule, and winner collects the meal card.
- Your six stockists from your own Where to Buy page, each with directions.
- Your photo in place of the empty slot, and your real product photos near the buy buttons.
A few things only you can answer
- The box side says 30 to 90 min. Your site says 20 to 40. Which one should the page use?
- Are all six shops still carrying it: Launching Success, Fairhaven Toy Garden, Yeagers, Village Books, The Comics Place and Cosmic Games?
- What is the current Amazon price, and is it in stock? The page links there without a price for now.
- We spotted Cookdown in Board Game Bliss's new arrivals in March 2025. Want stores outside Bellingham on the page?
- Where should email signups go? Right now the button opens an email to you.
- Do you have photos or clips from real game nights? That is the one thing missing, and it is exactly what we shoot.
What we would do next
Put this on trihedragames.com, wire up real signups, and shoot a real game night: photos plus a short reel of people losing their minds over a plate of nothing. There is no price on this page on purpose. Tell me what you would want to spend and we will work it out together.
Nathan Berg, Suubi Media