Minnesotan To Meet: General Mills, Davis BBQ Sauce's Barbara Jo Davis

IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO YET,
PLEASE DO.
CLICK LIKE AND YOU COULD BE THE
FACEBOOK FAN OF THE DAY.
MANY OF YOU, AS A KID
PROBABLY FLIPPED THROUGH THAT
BETTY CROCKER COOK BOOK IN YOUR
MOTHER'S KITCHEN.
DID YOU EVER DREAM OF
ACTUALLY BEING BETTY CROCKER?
THIS WOMAN DID JUST THAT.
Reporter: YOU COULD SAY
BARBARA JOY DAVIS WAS BORN TO
BAKE.
I SAW MY FIRST BETTY CROCKER
COOK BOOK AND I TOLD MY MOM,
I'M GOING TO BE BETTY CROCKER
SOME DAY.
Reporter: THE LONG TIME EDEN
PRAIRIE RESIDENT HOPED TO ONE
DAY DEVELOP HER OWN BETTY
CROCKER BRAND.
THIS WAS IN THE 50s.
SHE SAID YOU DON'T SEE ANY
BLACK PEOPLE IN THAT PICTURE DO
YOU?
I SAID NO.
BUT THINGS MAY CHANGE.
Reporter: AFTER GRADUATING
WITH A DIET DEGREE SHE INTERNED
IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND SPENT
THREE YEARS IN A HEART RESEARCH
CENTER IN DAYTON, OHIO.
SHE KNEW SHE WANTED MORE.
YOU ARE MORE INTERESTED IN
FOOD AND HOW IT WORKS AND WHAT
TASTES GOOD AND WHAT LOOKS GOOD
THAN YOU ARE IN THE NUTRITION
IN THE FOOD.
REPORTER: FINALLY PUSHING
FOR THE JOB HER MOM ONCE SAID
HE -- SHE LIKELY WOULD NEVER
HAVE.
I WROTE TO GENERAL MILLS AND
SAID DO YOU HAVE ANY OPENINGS?
SURE ENOUGH THEY HAD ONE.
I CAME UP AND INTERVIEWED AND
WAS HIRED ON THE SPOT.
Reporter: SHE STARTED AS A
HOME ECONOMIST.
THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF HER
20 YEAR CAREER IN THE BETTY
CROCKER.
SHE WORKED ON ALL KINDS OF
NOTABLE FOOD PRODUCTS LIKE GOLD
MEDAL FLOUR, HAMBURGER HELPER.
HER LAST JOB BEFORE SHE LEFT
WAS THE MANAGER OF COOK BOOKS.
I USED TO LIKE TO TO BAKE.
AFTER 20 YEARS IN THE BETTY
CROCKER KITCHEN YOU HAVE TO
COERCE ME TO BAKE ANYTHING.
Reporter: FROM BAKED GOOD
TOSS SOMETHING WITH A LITTLE
KICK, DAVIS GOT A JOB THAT
BROUGHT HER LOVE IN A PLACE SHE
LEAST EXPECTED.
A MAN NAMED KEN DAVIS WAS
LOOKING TO PERFECT HIS
GRANDMOTHER'S BARBEQUE SAUCE
RECIPE.
LIKE MOST MEN IT WASN'T
REALLY A RECIPE.
IT WAS DIFFERENT EVERY TIME
THEY MADE IT.
IT WAS GOOD BUT DIFFERENT EVERY
TIME THEY MADE IT.
Reporter: BARBARA JOE, THE
EXPERT WAS CALLED IN TO COOK IT
UP.
HE SAID TO ME, I WANT YOU TO
LOOK AT MY BARBEQUE SAUCE.
Reporter: THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT SHE DID.
I HAD THE SECRET RECIPE.
HE HAD TWO CHOICES.
HE COULD EITHER KILL ME OR
MARRY ME TO KEEP THE RECIPE
SAFE.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME HE DECIDED
TO MARRY ME.
Reporter: THE COUPLE MARRIED
IN 1973.
HER HUSBAND'S BUSINESS, KEN
DAVIS BARBEQUE SAUCE TOOK OFF.
IN 1988 SHE LEFT GENERAL MILLS
TO JOIN THE COMPANY.
THREE YEARS LATER WHEN HE
HUSBAND PASSED AWAY, BARBARA
JOE WAS FORCED TO TAKE OVER.
I HAD THREE FULL-TIME JOBS,
I HAD A FULL-TIME JOB AT
GENERAL MILLS, I HAD BARBEQUE
SAUCE AND A FAMILY TO RUN.
IT WAS SCARY.
Reporter: BARBARA DAVIS
DEVELOPED THE COOK BOOK SHE
ALWAYS WANTED CALLED KEN DAVIS
RECIPES.
SEVEN YEARS AGO SHE SOLD THE
BUSINESS AND SAID THERE IS NO
LOOKING BACK.
LIKE ALL THE JOBS I HAVE HAD
IN MY LIFE, I DON'T MISS IT.
IT IS SOMETHING I DID.
I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN.
Reporter: DAVIS IS ENJOYING
RETIREMENT.
LATER THIS YEAR, SHE'LL BE
INDUCTED INTO THE MINNESOTA
WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS HALL OF
FAME.
I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
WHO SAYS, OH, IN FIVE YEARS I'M
GOING TO BE DOING SUCH AND
SUCH.
I TAKE EVERYTHING DAY BY DAY.
I JUST LIVE MY LIFE.
I DIDN'T THINK I HAD DONE
ANYTHING EXTRAORDINARY.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED MEETING
HER.
I LOVE WHAT SHE SAID.
I KNOW YOU LIKED IT, TOO, AFTER
THE JOB THERE IS NO LOOKING
BACK.
I ENJOYED WHILE DOING IT.
NOW YOU MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
STAGE.
YOU HAVE DONE IT.
YOU ACHIEVED IT.
IT IS REALLY COOL.
SHE DOES MENTOR.
SHE MENTORED STUDENTS A THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AS WELL
AS NORTH MINNEAPOLIS.
SHE BELIEVES GIVING BACK IS
IMPORTANT.
SHE'LL BE INDUCTED IN THE
MINNESOTA BUSINESS OWNER HALL
OF FAME MAY 11th AT THE GOLDEN
VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB.
SHE IS ONE OF EIGHT WOMEN BEING
HONORED.
IT IS A GREAT SAUCE.
YES!

Minnesotan To Meet: General Mills, Davis BBQ Sauce's Barbara Jo Davis

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