Studying the Pillsbury Bake-off

I was excited to see that writer Laura Shapiro will be speaking at an event for the Culinary Historians of Southern California. She will be speaking about Rethinking the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

I have been writing about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, too. First, I have looked at the ways in which newspaper food editors covered competitive cooking – from chili cook-offs to newspaper-sponsored Christmas cookie contests.

Second, I have looked at newspaper food editors as judges in these culinary contests where these (almost always) women were considered authorities.

Third, I have looked at some of the complexities the newspaper food editors faced in balancing news and ethics. For example, in 1971, at the Louisville Courier Journal, the editor noted that the $25,000 prize at the time made the Pillsbury Bake-off newsworthy. Yet, the newspaper did not want to provide free publicity so the name “Pillsbury” was not used in the story. Interestingly, the statement was made at a food editors conference that Pillsbury sponsored. Here is a story about it.

Jane Nickerson wrote about the first Pillsbury Bake-Off – before it even had that name. I am presenting a paper about Nickerson next week at the National Communication Association convention.

Please follow and like us: