Eleanor Roosevelt was a prominent champion of women's achievements throughout her husband's political career and after his passing. She attended the first Bake-Off® Contest and wrote about it in her newspaper column, "My Day." "This is a healthy contest and a highly American one. It may sell Pillsbury flour but it also reaches far down into the lives of the housewives of America. These were women who ran their homes and cooked at home," she told her readers, "they were not professional cooks." Mrs. Roosevelt, champion of the underdog, meant so much to Bake-Off® contestants that many counted her presence as one of the highlights of the event.
From "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off® Cookbook." Copyright 2004 General Mills. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.