"I always liked to bake. I remember so well the first thing I baked. I was eight years old and I had baked a chocolate cake. After it was baked my mother and I had some cake. There was a knock on the back door and my mother went to the door and I heard her say. 'Oh Doris, you must come in and have some of this cake Marjorie made. You'll never believe how great it is!'" With that, Marjorie began a lifetime of baking.

The winner of more than 1,000 Blue Ribbons for her baking, Marjorie Johnson has been entering the Minnesota State Fair (the second largest in the U.S. after the Texas State Fair) and the Anoka County Fair since 1974. She has also entered numerous recipe contests for years, and has won many prizes, including some big prizes in contests sponsored by General Mills, Paul Newman, and the Nestle Chocolate Company. She has been a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist on three occasions.

Her first appearance on national TV was on the Rosie O'Donnell talk show in November 1996. She was a featured guest twelve times until Rosie ended her show in 2002. Remembering their first meeting, Rosie O'Donnell quips, "The first time I met her, I couldn't believe this adorable petite woman could have such a dynamic personality. She's tough, hysterical, talks a mile a minute, has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and I just wanted to take her home with me."

Marjorie also was a regular on the syndicated "Wayne Brady Show" with twenty-three appearances during the two seasons that the show was on the air. Marjorie teamed up with Rosie again in 2006 when Rosie invited her back to New York City for a baking segment on The View. Marjorie has recently been featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in baking segments, and also as a correspondent for such improbable events as the MLB All-Star game, the NBA Finals, the X-Games, and the Emmys.

As much as she loves being on national TV, she considers it a treat to be on the local Twin Cities stations, with many appearances on KARE-11 with Belinda Jensen televised from the Minnesota State Fair. Now a Minnesota State Fair tradition, she is featured on the Joe Soucheray Radio show live from the Fair on opening day each year.

Marjorie graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics, majoring in Foods in Business, and with a minor in Journalism. Marjorie has been married to Dr. LeRoy Johnson, a retired dentist, for sixty years, and she has three children and four grandchildren. She and Lee are long-time residents of Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Marjorie was honored in April 2007 when the Mayor of Robbinsdale declared that April 30 was "Marjorie Johnson Day". Marjorie is a frequent speaker at events sponsored by a variety of organizations where her talks are always informative and fun.

"There are two things I love to do", Marjorie pipes up when asked about her baking, "the first is bake and the second is talk. I especially like to talk about baking. So I am very happy baking and talking."

Happy Baking to all of you!