Former Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant celebrates her 100 birthday with the Doughboy

As the Pillsbury Bake-Off enters its 49th competitive year, one of the original contestants celebrates her 100th birthday with Pillsbury and the iconic Doughboy.

The annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is more than just a recipe competition. Do you have a special baking story that behind that favorite family recipe? A successful Pillsbury Bake-Off submission is part delicious recipe and part food memory. For those bakers and cooks who want to share their food story, that iconic title could be part of your family’s food history.

Recently, one of the original contestants in the first Pillsbury Bake-Off celebrated her 100th birthday. To mark the centennial celebration, Pillsbury sent the Pillsbury Doughboy to her Naperville home to mark the occasion.

The Pillsbury Doughboy is delivering treats to Laura Rott, the first winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and her family in celebration of Laura?s 100th birthday, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Naperville, Ill. (Jean-Marc Giboux/AP Images for Pillsbury)

Laura Rott, of Naperville, Illinois, earned second place in the 1949 Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. Her winning recipe, Starlight Mint Surprise Cookies, earned her second place and a $10,000 prize. Back in 1949, that prize money represented 10 years of her annual salary.

While many years have passed since she earned her place in baking history, Rott and her family kept original stove which she used to create that winning recipe. That piece of food history, family sentimentality and food story is more than just a stove. It is a symbol of how a baking contest can change a family’s life forever.

The Pillsbury Doughboy is delivering treats to Laura Rott, the first winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and her family in celebration of Laura?s 100th birthday, on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Naperville, Ill. (Jean-Marc Giboux/AP Images for Pillsbury)

Starting August 8, Pillsbury is accepting entries for its annual competition. Last year’s winning recipe for Cranberry Orange Rolls was both a delicious recipe but also showed how food brings families together. That winning recipe was variation on a family favorite, which brought together family memories both new and old.

The 49th Pillsbury Bake-Off contest is accepting entries in the categories of Cozy Weekend Breakfasts, Appetizers for Any Party, Winning Weeknight Dinners and Sweet + Simple Desserts beginning August 8. If you decide to enter this cooking competition, remember the contest is more than just a recipe. Each dish represents a connection, a memory and something special to you and your family. Always remember that food brings people together around a table. Sometimes it is the people, not just the recipe that makes the food so memorable.

The 49th Pillsbury Bake-Off contest is open to entries until 9/12/2018 at 11:59 am CT. Could you become part of food history?