How Marjorie Johnson Baked Her Way Into Our Hearts and Inspired Generations
Minnesota recently lost a local legend. Robbinsdale’s own Blue Ribbon baker, Marjorie Johnson, died on Oct. 30 at the age of 106.
Her baking prowess, sharp wit, and sense of humor thrust her into the national spotlight.
Over the years, she inspired people of all ages along the way.
Johnson made her first appearance on CCX (then called Cable 12) in 1999. The reason? She won 41 blue ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair that year.
“Well, I started baking when I was 8 years old, my mother was an expert baker and she really loved it,” Johnson said back then.
After that initial story, a funny thing happened. Johnson just kept giving us reasons to put her on camera.
In November of 1999, Johnson won a $10,000 prize for her popcorn trail mix recipe. It was part of actor Paul Newman’s “Good Housekeeping” baking contest. Johnson donated the entire prize to the American Cancer Society.
Eight years later, Johnson was on network television, baking alongside celebrities on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 2007.
Marjorie Johnson (right) with former Cable 12 News anchor Suzanne Goldklang, baking her award-winning popcorn trail mix in 1999.
A century of sweetness
Lisa Jacobson grew up on Crystal Lake Boulevard in Robbinsdale, just down the street from Johnson.
“It was fun to see my neighbor on TV on a national stage,” said Jacobson, the former mayor of Brooklyn Park.
“She inspired me to enter things in the fair,” said Jacobson. “I am not a baker. She would always enter all the baking categories at the Bee and Honey Building and I would enter things like honey mustard and honey baked nuts, which didn’t compete with her.”
It was nearly impossible to compete with Johnson and her baking prowess.
In 2007, her recipes were forever enshrined into a cookbook: “The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking with Marjorie.”
When the book came out, book signing events drew long lines, as she inspired the next generation of bakers.
“I baked your pumpkin bread and I won first place for 4H,” a girl told Johnson at a State Fair book signing event.
“Really, that’s wonderful,” Johnson exclaimed to the girl.
In 2007, Marjorie Johnson filmed a baking segment on “The Tonight Show” alongside Jay Leno and comedian, Dennis Miller.
A book signing event is how Robbinsdale’s Kate Richardson met Johnson.
“I brought my book up there and I just had a cute little conversation with her about Robbinsdale,” said Richardson, a local artist. “I mentioned I live there and she wanted to talk all about it. And they had to stop her and be like, ‘there’s other people in line!'”
That brief interaction inspired Richardson to create a Marjorie Johnson scarecrow for the State Fair in 2023.
“[She’s] probably the most blue ribbon-winning person that there ever has been,” said Richardson. “And so, I just decided I wanted to do something for her, and she was 104 at the time.”
Tens of thousands of fair-goers saw the scarecrow, including Johnson herself.
“I’m really glad she got to see it,” said Richardson. “Because I really, secretly, wanted to make it for her.”
Johnson may be gone, but she leaves behind a legacy as rich and enduring as her baked goods.
“I would say if we could be more like Marjorie in our communities, as people, I think we’d all be better off,” said Jacobson.
In 2023, Marjorie Johnson posed with a scarecrow made in her likeness at the Minnesota State Fair.
Related: Happy 100! Marjorie Johnson Gives Tips for Healthy Living
