Beatrice Luoma Ojakangas

Doctor of Humane Letters

University of Minnesota, Duluth, May 12, 2007

Beatrice Luoma Ojakangas is a nationally and internationally recognized culinary professional who has worked for over 40 years on preserving the culture and history of Scandinavian cooking through her cookbooks. She is a native of Floodwood, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics. Since then, she has published more than 25 cookbooks and has been an editorial contributor to many national publications such as Bon Appetit, Family Circle, Redbook, and Woman’s Day. The Finnish Cookbook (her first book) has been recognized as the absolute source on Finnish cooking in the United States and in Finland. It has been reprinted 25 times since it was originally published in 1964. She has worked as a consultant for Pillsbury and other food companies including Louis Kemp Foods and Chun King. She has also taught cooking classes and has appeared on several television shows such as the “Good Morning America” program and in a public television series called, “Baking with Julia Child.” She is the recipient of numerous awards that recognize excellence and achievement in the culinary profession. In 2005, she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation KitchenAid Cookbook Hall of Fame, which is considered the highest honor in the industry that a culinary professional can achieve. She also received a Distinguished Alumni Award and was honored as a UMD Distinguished Alumni Speaker.