From the drum set to the kitchen, family mourns Jimboy’s Tacos president
The family behind Jimboy’s Tacos is grieving the loss of one of its leading figures.
Jimboy’s Tacos President Karen Knudson-Freeman died April 20, 13 months after being diagnosed with cancer. She was 68.
Knudson-Freeman was the daughter of the company’s founder, Jim Knudson, and the mother of CEO Erik Freeman. Holding the reins of Jimboy’s Tacos meant a lot to Knudson-Freeman, her son said, adding that she enjoyed exploring new recipes to uphold her father’s legacy.
As Freeman remains at the company without his mother by his side, he said, the sentiment continues with him, but with her legacy in mind as well.
“It was a direct connection to her dad, and so it’s more than just caring about a product because it’s good for the customer,” Freeman said. “It’s also caring about it because it’s a connection to her father.”
Jimboy’s Tacos was headquartered in Folsom for about two decades. Its headquarters moved virtual last year, according to Freeman. The restaurant chain has nearly 40 locations throughout the Northern California and Reno area.
Cancer didn’t stop Knudson-Freeman from being president, a role she held until she died. Her older brother, Scott Knudson, passed the job to her around 2010, after he had held the position since the 1980s. Being 11 years older than his sister, Scott Knudson said he enjoyed watching her grow up, saying she knew how to fill the room.
“She was always active and enthusiastic about everything,” Scott Knudson said.
The late president’s enthusiasm took her on adventures, her brother said. She was a majorette — a dancer who twirls a baton — and during her 20s she was in a rock band with her friends.
“I went to some of their concerns and if they’d have stayed with it, they might have become a strong rumor in their own time,” Scott Knudson said of his sister’s band.
While in the band, Knudson-Freeman was often found sitting by the drum set, her brother said.
As Knudson-Freeman grew into the Jimboy’s Taco company, enthusiasm followed her. Scott Knudson said that’s partially why he chose his sister to replace him as president.
One of Knudson-Freeman’s many knacks was research and development, according to Freeman, saying his mother always wanted the food chain’s menu to be craveable. He remembers watching her in her kitchen, often wearing a black apron as she turned the oven burners and grabbed the spatula’s handle.
“The kitchen is her instrument,” Freeman said. “She knows where the food is. Without looking, without even thinking, she knows what tool to grab, what temperature the burner needs to be on, where to get this ingredient. She can do it without second guessing or even trying to look for it. “
The late president’s signature development was the company’s chili burrito. The food item was inspired by a recipe her parents used when they entered chili competitions, Freeman said.
Jimboy’s chili burrito is a limited-time menu item that was last available last year from late February through April. It was the most popular menu item during the promotion.
As the Jimboy’s Tacos looks ahead without Knudson-Freeman, her son leaves a piece of advice for families across the Sacramento area.
“There are people who are very special in everybody’s lives,” Freeman said. “Just take a pause and think about who that person is and give them love. They deserve it. You never know what could happen. It never hurts to say, ‘I love you.’”
