2014 Hall of Fame

Burt Robinson
Life Time Achievement

Burt Robinson and LaVonne owned and operated Paradise Pastry at 4157, Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN for 30 years from 1967 – 1997.  Burt has always been respected by his peers, the bakery employees and customers for his honesty and quality bakery products. He was esteemed for how he treated his employees and customers.

He graduated from Dunwoody Institute in 1956 and worked for a short time at Johnson’s SuperValu in Hopkins. He worked for Sam Pannick, the owner of Paradise Pastry Shop for 10 years. Burt bought the Paradise Pastry Shop when Sam retired in 1967. He quickly learned that bakery ownership required long hard hours. However he received great satisfaction from having a good bakery. The bakery was featured in the Taste section in the Star and Tribune and several newspaper articles in neighborhood papers.

Since retiring in 1997, Burt has continued to bake for friends and relatives and the church.. For many years he made the Communion Bread and cookies for after church coffee. He has baked thousands of loaves of bread, cookies, etc for the church bazaar.

People come from miles around for his Krumkake and Yule cake.

Burt has been on dialysis for the last 2 years. He found a new place to bring bakery treats on a regular basis. The technicians love him and ask, “How come the treats you bring are so much better than most that are brought in?”  Again it is because he uses the best ingredients possible and plain and simple, “Burt is good baker and loves to Bake.”

Linda John

Most of the time we are introducing Hall of Fame members that not all of us are familiar with—- but if you’ve been at a banquet in the last 7 years you know tonight’s nominee. In fact she may have announced your name if you won a medal and—she gave you very precise instructions on how to come up and receive it!

Linda John started decorating cakes and teaching cake decorating in 1986. She taught for Maid of Scandinavia, she did “Step by Step instructions” for Mail Box News and started doing demos at events. In 1993, she started decorating professionally at Dorothy Ann Bakery and at Grandma’s Bakery where she still decorates cakes today.

She was asked to do cake demos across the US for various companies and was featured at RBA, MBA, IBIE and Atlantic Bakery Expos. She became involved with ICES and was Registration Chair in 1998 when ICES held their annual convention in St. Paul. She taught classes at the National Baking Center, and did articles for American Cake Decorator Magazine.

In 2006, we “invited” her to help with the DECO Cake competition at the UMBA convention in Rochester. That was one of the best decisions UMBA ever made! Since 2007, the Deco Cake competition has been run by Linda with the help of her very computer handy, husband , Gene and she has organized and improved the contest so that it is now the best run bakery decorating contest in the country. —- By the way, several of us have offered to take Linda home to organize our lives after seeing how well she organizes.

But Linda doesn’t just organize the Decorating Competition—she also is very involved with her community and church. She coordinates picnics, banquets and weddings along with the Teen Challenge Thanksgiving Dinner. She runs the concessions for the yearly “Missions Tent Sale and has done a mission trip to Pueblo, Mexico. She does video productions of the Easter and Christmas play at her church and coordinates A/G Marriage Encounter Twin Cities.

Because of all that Linda has done for the bakery industry and her community, tonight we are proud to add her to the UMBA Hall of Fame.

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Click Here for nomination procedures in a printable form.

The Bakers Hall of Fame was established to ensure that memories of outstanding bakers be recognized and preserved. It is to honor those whose hard work and dedication has made significant and outstanding achievements to the baking industry, community and the American way of life. The Hall of Fame has been expanded to include honoring any bakery employee for their hard work and outstanding achievements.

Categories are:

• Lifetime Achievement (at least 20 years in the baking industry)
• Outstanding Achievement (has made exceptional and meaningful contribution to the baking industry, community and the American way of life)

Nominee must have:

1. Established recognized proficiency in their respective areas of the industry.
2. Contributed to the betterment of the industry on the state, regional and or national level.
3. Contributed in some manner toward community betterment in the city of residence.
4. Member of/or work for a member in good standing with the Upper Midwest Bakery Association.
5. A majority vote of the UMBA Board of Directors for induction. *

* It is the responsibility of the Upper Midwest Bakers Association Board of Directors to elect deserving applicants based on their performance against the UMBA Hall of Fame criteria.
2014 inductees:
Linda John, Burt Robinson
2013 inductee:
Lance Wilke

2012 inductees:
Jeff Schwietering, John Fish, & Curt Borchert

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Aus, Carl – Aus Bakery – Granite Falls, MN
Becker, Joe – Dixie Bake Shop – Sioux Falls, SD
Becker, Larry
Birkner, Hans – Hans Bakery – Hendricks, MN
Blackowiak, John – Chaska Bakery – Chaska, MN
Braschler, Bob & Nancy – Braschler’s Bakery – Red Wing, MN
Braun, Virg – Braun Bakery – Robinsdale, MN
Bukowski, Earl A. – Dixie Bakery – Sioux Falls, SD
Bukowski, Earl (Butch) – Minnesota Corrections – St. Cloud, MN
Carmichael, Bob – Best Brand’s – Egan, MN
Cole, Frank – Best Brands – St. Paul, MN
Eischens, Jerry – Rolling Pin Bakery – Glencoe, MN
Fendt, Erwin – Quality Bakery – Fargo
Fendt, Peter – Quality Bakery – Fargo, ND
Field, Chuck – Fishers – Shakopee
Forti, Vincent – Sunrise Bakery – Hibbing, MN
Fournier, Jim – Jerry’s Foods – Edina MN
Gillund, Don – Dons Bakery – Hendricks, MN
Grochowski, Walter J. – Dorothy Ann’s – St. Paul, MN
Harder, Rudy – Dunwoody – Minneapolis, MN
Harding, Edward – Dunwoody – Minneapolis, MN
Hirman, Dennis – Dennys 5th Ave. Bake Shop – Bloomington, MN
Johnson, Bill – Johnson’s – Duluth, MN
Johnson, Lillian F. – Keller’s Bakery – Duluth, MN
Jones, Ron – Dawn Foods –
Kamrowski, Pete & Joy – Pete & Joys Bakery – Little Falls, MN
Kettler, Richard – Ketter’s Bakery – Prior Lake, MN
Kettwich, Allen – Coborns – St. Cloud, MN
Klinkhammer, Edward – Quality Bakery – Northfield, MN
Kugler, Elmer – Kuglers Bakery – Blaine, MN
Larson, Dexter – Duluth Community College – Duluth, MN
Larson, Robert “Bob” – Larson’s Bakery – St. Louis Park, MN
Lindberg, Gordi – Campus Bakery – Minneapolis, MN
Lofthus, Seymour – Canby Bakery – Canby, MN
Lord, Steve – Best Brands Corp. – Eagan, MN
Lundberg, John
Marcaccini, Geno & Guido– Italian Bakery – Virginia, MN
McGleno, Daniell – St. Agnes Bakery – St. Paul, MN
McGlynn, Burton J. – McGlynn’s – Edina, MN
Moeller, Loran “ Archie” – Elbow Lake Bakery – Elbow Lake, MN
Molstad, Elder
Myhr, Cliff – Myhr’s Bakery – Edina, MN
O’Boyle – Jackobson, Susan – Cakes by Susan’s – Minneapolis, MN
Olson, Marty – Bungolo – St. Paul, MN
Olson, Victor – Olson’s Bakery – Wayzata, MN
Palm, Leroy Enord – Palm’s Bakery – St. Louis Park
Pauvnik, Sam – Dennys 5th Ave. Bake Shop – Bloomington, MN
Richter, John – Bretchet & Richter Company – Golden Valley, MN
Sigety, Henry
Thelen, Ray – Pillsbury – Minneapolis, MN
Turtinen, Ralph – Former Executive Director of the Baker’s Association
Vandervoort, A. J. – Dunwoody, Minneapolis, MN
Wratz, Lyle – Lyle’s Bakery – Bloomington, MN
Williams, Vince – Pillsbury – Minneapolis, MN
Woods, Jack F. – Pappy’s Foods – Minneapolis, MN
Wuollet, Reino – Wuollets Bakery – Edina, MN
Zimmer, Jack & Elaine – Jack’s Bakery – Brooklyn Park, MN
Zolik, Tom – Brechet & Richter – Golden Valley, MN

Outstanding Achievement
Schurman, Lynn – Cold Spring Bakery – Cold Spring, MN
Klecko – St. Agnes Bakery – St. Paul, MN
Hobbs, Edward – Farmington Bakery – Farmington, MN
* Please inform us if you or one of your family members or acquaintances has been inducted and is not listed.