Mary Janet at home in her kitchen.
November 27, 2024
-by April MacDonald
On September 29th of this year, Mary Janet MacDonald from Port Hood, the star of her own cooking show, Tunes and Wooden Spoons, filmed her final episode.
It all began, as most will recall during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
“The only reason I did it was because my daughter, Margie, who is a teacher out in Alberta, said, ‘We got to do something, mom, everyone loves your cinnamon rolls, why don’t you do a live-stream on Facebook?’” explained Mary Janet MacDonald in an interview on Monday morning.
So on Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, MacDonald rolled up her sleeves and tied her apron and gave a tutorial on how to make her famous cinnamon rolls recipe.
A twist of fate would change the course of the cooking show as MacDonald thought the live video would only be seen by her own family and maybe a few friends.
“Having never done live-streaming, and with no one but myself to set it up – I went live from my personal Facebook account and demonstrated how to make my cinnamon rolls,” she added.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, she set the live stream to “public,” not “friends only.”
“The video went viral and the love received from people around the globe was overwhelming – the personal messages received touched my heart – people alone in their confinement needed a comforting distraction, people wanting to bake with their children, people who just wanted to watch, and not bake, but just listen to my ramblings, and some feeling they could connect with me and that I was a comforting presence,” she explained.
So for four and a half years, every Sunday, she tied her apron and was welcomed into the homes of tens of thousands of people.
She gained 65,000 followers and reached people from all over Cape Breton Island, Canada, The United States, the Bahamas, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Scotland, to name a few.
Asking her what was some of her favourite moments or episodes, she said there was a woman from Port Hood named Mary Florence Beaton, who had passed away well before the cooking show came along, and she was known as a “Big Tory.” So as a tribute to her, Mary Janet pondered what she could make, so she flipped through her CWL (Catholic Women’s League) recipe book and found the perfect recipe “Tory Pudding with a Liberal Sauce.”
She went one step further and invited former Premier of Nova Scotia, Rodney MacDonald, a well-known Tory, and former Premier Iain Rankin, a known Liberal, to roll up their sleeves and make the recipe with her.
“Oh my, we had a lot of laughs,” said Mary Janet.
Asking her what her favourite things to make, she said she loves making rolls.
“But I like to make regular things like molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and, of course, cinnamon rolls,” she said.
Asking her what is her least favourite thing to make, she didn’t hesitate for one second and said, “anything with fish!” and laughed.
She circled back to some of her most favourite moments being special events when she flimed a show in support of Ukraine, her show at the Civic Centre, the Big Fiddle in Sydney, and doing charcuterie boards, having her own family members on the show, special guests like Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Rodney MacDonald, the young musician who came all the way from Vermont by bus back in April on 2023, and author Leslie Crewe.
“I had just mentioned at the end of one of my episodes that I had just finished a Leslie Crewe book and how much I had enjoyed it, so I recommended it to who was watching. The next day after I had mentioned her book, Leslie’s Facebook blew up and her publisher reached out to her and asked what on earth was going on. So, we connected and I ended up having Leslie and her husband on the show to cook with me,” explained Mart Janet.
“Being interviewed by so many people was certainly an experience, especially Ben Mulroney on his morning show,” she added.
She said that as the show continued to grow, she had no choice but to expand into different things like soups and main dishes.
“It went on much longer than I ever anticipated. But as it grew and things got more expensive, and it took away every one of my Sundays – hockey games were missed – I decided to take it to 200 episodes,” said Mary Janet.
“I’ve loved spending the last four and a half years bringing livestream shows into your homes, especially during the challenging times of COVID…I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your support,” she said.
She wanted her fans and followers to know that even though the live shows have concluded, she will continue sharing recipes and updates about her cookbooks on the website.
“I’m thrilled to share that my cookbooks, Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen and Love Without Measure, are Canadian bestsellers! A huge thank you to all of you who made this possible,” she added.
She sold 18,000 copies of Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen.
Her second cook book was dedicated to her three mothers; her own mother who died at the age of 37, the mother who raised her, and her mother-in-law.
Her third cookbook is slated to be released in September 2025 and is being co-authored with her daughter, Margie, “and we couldn’t be more excited.”
The third book is a nod to grandmothers from the Maritimes.
“There was a nomination process where there were about 130-140 people. We interviewed and visited them and there will be 36 grandmothers that will be featured in a two-page spread,” she explained.
“It’s nice to pay tribute to the young and elderly grandmas who still bake, one especially who is 101 years old and still bakes with her own daughter,” added Mary Janet.
She explained her goal throughout filming all those 200 episodes was to make something that people would enjoy – that’s what gives her joy.
“Nothing extravagant, I love the simple things like oat cakes, scones, and biscuits. But the show definitely made me stretch my technique,” she said.
In closing, Mary Janet said that the love, passion, and friendliness of people who reached out means the world to her, especially during a time when people needed to come together.
Mary Janet MacDonald has been married for over 50 years to her husband, Cecil; they have seven children and 12 grandchildren (from ages four to 25 years old).
And now – in 2024 – she has two very successful cookbooks and a third cookbook on the way.
“So, that is who I am, what I love, and it’s my story – although there is a lot more. Thank you for being on this journey with me,” she closed.
On September 29th of this year, Mary Janet MacDonald from Port Hood, the star of her own cooking show, Tunes and Wooden Spoons, filmed her final episode.
It all began, as most will recall during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
“The only reason I did it was because my daughter, Margie, who is a teacher out in Alberta, said, ‘We got to do something, mom, everyone loves your cinnamon rolls, why don’t you do a live-stream on Facebook?’” explained Mary Janet MacDonald in an interview on Monday morning.
So on Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, MacDonald rolled up her sleeves and tied her apron and gave a tutorial on how to make her famous cinnamon rolls recipe.
A twist of fate would change the course of the cooking show as MacDonald thought the live video would only be seen by her own family and maybe a few friends.
“Having never done live-streaming, and with no one but myself to set it up – I went live from my personal Facebook account and demonstrated how to make my cinnamon rolls,” she added.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, she set the live stream to “public,” not “friends only.”
“The video went viral and the love received from people around the globe was overwhelming – the personal messages received touched my heart – people alone in their confinement needed a comforting distraction, people wanting to bake with their children, people who just wanted to watch, and not bake, but just listen to my ramblings, and some feeling they could connect with me and that I was a comforting presence,” she explained.
So for four and a half years, every Sunday, she tied her apron and was welcomed into the homes of tens of thousands of people.
She gained 65,000 followers and reached people from all over Cape Breton Island, Canada, The United States, the Bahamas, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Scotland, to name a few.
Asking her what was some of her favourite moments or episodes, she said there was a woman from Port Hood named Mary Florence Beaton, who had passed away well before the cooking show came along, and she was known as a “Big Tory.” So as a tribute to her, Mary Janet pondered what she could make, so she flipped through her CWL (Catholic Women’s League) recipe book and found the perfect recipe “Tory Pudding with a Liberal Sauce.”
She went one step further and invited former Premier of Nova Scotia, Rodney MacDonald, a well-known Tory, and former Premier Iain Rankin, a known Liberal, to roll up their sleeves and make the recipe with her.
“Oh my, we had a lot of laughs,” said Mary Janet.
Asking her what her favourite things to make, she said she loves making rolls.
“But I like to make regular things like molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and, of course, cinnamon rolls,” she said.
Asking her what is her least favourite thing to make, she didn’t hesitate for one second and said, “anything with fish!” and laughed.
She circled back to some of her most favourite moments being special events when she flimed a show in support of Ukraine, her show at the Civic Centre, the Big Fiddle in Sydney, and doing charcuterie boards, having her own family members on the show, special guests like Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Rodney MacDonald, the young musician who came all the way from Vermont by bus back in April on 2023, and author Leslie Crewe.
“I had just mentioned at the end of one of my episodes that I had just finished a Leslie Crewe book and how much I had enjoyed it, so I recommended it to who was watching. The next day after I had mentioned her book, Leslie’s Facebook blew up and her publisher reached out to her and asked what on earth was going on. So, we connected and I ended up having Leslie and her husband on the show to cook with me,” explained Mart Janet.
“Being interviewed by so many people was certainly an experience, especially Ben Mulroney on his morning show,” she added.
She said that as the show continued to grow, she had no choice but to expand into different things like soups and main dishes.
“It went on much longer than I ever anticipated. But as it grew and things got more expensive, and it took away every one of my Sundays – hockey games were missed – I decided to take it to 200 episodes,” said Mary Janet.
“I’ve loved spending the last four and a half years bringing livestream shows into your homes, especially during the challenging times of COVID…I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your support,” she said.
She wanted her fans and followers to know that even though the live shows have concluded, she will continue sharing recipes and updates about her cookbooks on the website.
“I’m thrilled to share that my cookbooks, Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen and Love Without Measure, are Canadian bestsellers! A huge thank you to all of you who made this possible,” she added.
She sold 18,000 copies of Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen.
Her second cook book was dedicated to her three mothers; her own mother who died at the age of 37, the mother who raised her, and her mother-in-law.
Her third cookbook is slated to be released in September 2025 and is being co-authored with her daughter, Margie, “and we couldn’t be more excited.”
The third book is a nod to grandmothers from the Maritimes.
“There was a nomination process where there were about 130-140 people. We interviewed and visited them and there will be 36 grandmothers that will be featured in a two-page spread,” she explained.
“It’s nice to pay tribute to the young and elderly grandmas who still bake, one especially who is 101 years old and still bakes with her own daughter,” added Mary Janet.
She explained her goal throughout filming all those 200 episodes was to make something that people would enjoy – that’s what gives her joy.
“Nothing extravagant, I love the simple things like oat cakes, scones, and biscuits. But the show definitely made me stretch my technique,” she said.
In closing, Mary Janet said that the love, passion, and friendliness of people who reached out means the world to her, especially during a time when people needed to come together.
Mary Janet MacDonald has been married for over 50 years to her husband, Cecil; they have seven children and 12 grandchildren (from ages four to 25 years old).
And now – in 2024 – she has two very successful cookbooks and a third cookbook on the way.
“So, that is who I am, what I love, and it’s my story – although there is a lot more. Thank you for being on this journey with me,” she closed.
