Overview
- The Minnesota State Fair mainstay began competing in 1974 and amassed more than 3,000 state and county fair ribbons, including over 1,000 blue.
- Her State Fair prominence brought national visibility, from recurring spots on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno—where she served as a guest correspondent—to red carpets at the Grammys and the Emmys.
- Johnson published The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking in 2007, sharing recipes for breads, rolls, and cakes.
- Born in Minneapolis in 1919 and longtime resident of Robbinsdale, she learned to bake from her mother and recalled making her first cake at age 8.
- Robbinsdale’s mayor praised her as an energetic, generous neighbor whose baking and spirit resonated far beyond her community.