Meet the Pillsbury Dough Girl
Many of you know that my email is [email protected]. But, the reason behind it may have escaped you. Let me let you in on a little secret about me. I love to bake. I mean I really love to bake. Therefore, when it was time to get an email address many years ago, I branded myself Mzpilsbury and it stuck. Now, when I met Ann Pillsbury of Zip Realty at a recent Realtor event, I knew there was a story there. Then I attended a Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville event and my good friend Jennifer Harkleroad, a project manager at Greenhorne & O’Mara, told me she had just been named a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off, a page dedicated to the love of baking was born.
Ann Pillsbury
What’s cookin,’ Ms. Pillsbury?
Ann Pillsbury
Ann Pillsbury is a Realtor with Zip Realty, Inc. who has a very unusual, but very recognizable name.
“I was named Ann after the person whose name appeared on the Pillsbury products and cookbooks that existed at the time,” she said. “As it turns out, the name ‘Ann Pillsbury’ is really a fictitious name, created I’m sure to provide a more personal connection for the consumer to the product.
“The recipes were actually developed in what was called the Pillsbury Home Services Department so attaching a personal name, I’m sure, was their marketing strategy to help the public identify with an individual person, not a group of anonymous people working in the ‘Home Services Department’. Her signature always appeared on the back of a box of various products and would include a recipe.
“When I came into the world, my family decided to go with the name on the box that they had seen time and time again and that’s how I got my name.”
Old cookbook with Ann Pillsbury’s signature
Pillsbury has not been in real estate long but hopes that her name will help people to remember her.
“I usually try to tie in the connection to the company to make it easier for people to remember my name,” she said. “Some people pick up on the name right away and make a comment on their own. They are always asking if I am related and if I have any money. I am distantly related, but there’s no money.”
With a name like Pillsbury, it’s no surprise that she loves to bake and cook. She intends to use that to her advantage in her marketing while selling real estate.
“Ironically, our family really loves to cook and bake,” said Pillsbury. “We love trying new recipes and sharing our favorites with others. It is my hope as I focus and develop my marketing area that I will send out recipes to those I intend to reach. Hopefully they will remember the name and will find the recipe easy to prepare and enjoyable as well. They may grow tired of receiving my mail outs but maybe some will look forward to receiving a new recipe each time.”
Growing up with a name like Pillsbury couldn’t have been easy. She said she had a few nicknames. Can you guess them?
“I have been called ‘Poppin’ Fresh’ and ‘Dough Girl’ (of course),” she said.
She said she wasn’t really teased while growing up until the commercials with the giggling Poppin’ Fresh guy started.
“At that time I don’t think my peers were really paying attention to the cake mix boxes in the kitchen and how we shared the same last name,” she said.
“It really started when Poppin’ Fresh was introduced in 1965 and they had developed the cute commercials. Then there was a lot of teasing, talk and poking at my tummy. That part I could have done without if you happen to remember the commercials.”
The Pillsbury name is very recognizable and she said people do usually comment when she needs to show her identification for some reason.
“When they see the name in print on a driver’s license or check, it’s like they can’t believe it is really my name,” she said. “It seems that people have never attached a real person to the name. They seem to think of it only as a name that identifies a company.”
Pillsbury has only been with Zip Realty since March of this year. She retired from a career in the state government in December of 2007 where she worked in the field of juvenile justice.
Harkleroad shows off her prepared pizza
Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist!
Jennifer Harkleroad loves to cook for her friends and family.
This love and some tenacity led to her being a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist for the second time.
“My family has been entering recipes in the Bake-Off for a few years,” said Harkleroad. “We have mini Bake-Offs within our family before recipes are due to test them out and get feedback. I was also in the 2002 Pillsbury Bake-Off and had a wonderful time.”
Her recipe was Toasted Tuscan Walnut Squares and you can get the recipe online at www.Pillsbury.com.
“I went to Italy in 2006 and just loved all the pizzas they had there, so I started experimenting with pesto and other ingredients,” she said. “I made my recipe for my girlfriends and they loved it!”
She was notified in September of 2007 while she was out of town for work.
“I was very excited to find out I was in the ‘Entertaining Appetizers’ category,” she said. “As a finalist, you receive an all-expense paid trip to the Bake-Off location. This year it was in Dallas at the Fairmont Hotel. My sister came as my guest and we arrived on Sunday. The majority of Sunday is orientation for the finalists so we all know what to do at the Bake-Off. Sunday night there is a formal welcome dinner at the hotel.
“Monday morning we were up at the crack of dawn to eat breakfast and be in line for the Grand March into the ballroom for the Bake-Off. Once you march into the ballroom, where they have 100 ovens and stations set up, you are given ingredients to prepare your recipe three times — once for the judges, once for pictures and then a third time for other finalists to taste your recipe. After you have submitted your recipe, the pressure is off and you can relax.
“Monday night, we attended a cowboy themed party to celebrate our accomplishments. Tuesday morning, we attended the grand prize ceremony with high hopes. There are five category winners and one of the five category winners becomes the grand prize winner.
“Unfortunately, I was did not win any prizes, but the experience was fantastic. There is always the next Pillsbury Bake-Off!”
Though she didn’t win, she did get a few fun gifts just for being a finalist.
“I received the trip to Dallas and a convection oven from Pillsbury,” she said. “For selecting Publix as my grocery store of choice, Publix sent me a $1,000 gift card. That was a very exciting bonus!”
Next year, Harkleroad said that Pillsbury is coming out with a thin crust pizza dough, so she may be cookin’ up a new recipe to put on top of that dough, but she hasn’t finalized that idea just yet.
Finding time to cook for anyone is hard, especially during the week.
“Weekdays can be difficult,” she said. “Quick and easy recipes are always more convenient. My husband and I love to grill.”
Harkleroad said she encourages others to enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
“It is such a fun experience!” she said.
Basically, you just have to use one or two of Pillsbury ingredients and then use your imagination to create a recipe to submit. The rules are online at Pillsbury.com.