talks about canning and preserving, while selling some of her own home-made jams and baked goods. Until 1928, she worked for the Ontario Department of Agriculture speaking to rural women about farming. She subsequently taught cooking, at the Canadian National Exhibition, where she was named the director of the Women's Activities in early 1939. She continued in that role for the next thirteen years. Beginning in the 1920s, she became known for her recipes, which she first published as pamphlets or booklets. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, her cooking talks were extremely popular: some of her classes at the CNE drew several thousand people, both men and women. Rural farm women found her especially helpful, since she understood their situation and was able to offer them helpful hints about managing their household more effectively. While serving as director of women's activities for the CNE, she became known for creating unique displays for the Exhibition, such as persuading the British government to allow one of Queen Elizabeth's famous dresses to be shown. She was also known for booking guest appearances by celebrities and dignitaries: among them was former American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who gave a 1951 talk at the Exhibition that was also carried by the CBC. Mrs. Aitken finally resigned from her position in November 1952. Kate Aitken also served as supervisor of conservation for the Consumers Branch, Wartime Prices and Trade Board during World War II. In August 1945, she took a six-week tour of the British Isles and the Continent at the invitation of the British Ministry of Food. The goal of the tour was to learn how Canadian women could help alleviate food shortages in the UK. Career in broadcasting Kate Aitken was offered a radio show in 1934, when a broadcaster at CFRB in Toronto broke her leg and the station manager needed an emergency replacement. The show was syndicated to other radio stations, and was eventually picked up by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1948. By the 1940s, she had become one of CFRB's most popular broadcasters, and newspapers abandoned the custom of referring to her by as Mrs. Henry Aitken; they began using her radio name, Kate Aitken, all the time. Her radio programs were also profitable for CFRB: she was able to get her own sponsors, and she proved that a daytime show aimed mainly at home-makers could gain a wide following.