Kate Aitken (April 6, 1891 – December 11, 1971) was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Sometimes known by the nickname Mrs. A, she was one of the most famous female broadcasters of her era. In addition, she was known as an expert on cooking; she gave many public talks and demonstrations, and her advice was relied upon by millions of homemakers. Early life Kate Aitken, born Kate May Scott, was the fifth of seven children of Anne (née Kennedy) and Robert Scott; she was born in the village of Beeton, Ontario. Her parents owned a general store; years later, in 1956, she wrote a memoir about her childhood in Beeton, called Never a Day So Bright. From the time she was little, she enjoyed cooking: she once joked that she was born "with a mixing spoon in my hand." At twelve-years old, Kate sold cosmetics door-to-door on a bicycle. She then became a teacher when she was fourteen; she later got enough credits for a teaching certificate and moved to Saskatchewan; she returned to Ontario several years later to help her mother run the general store. In October 1914, she married a local businessman named Henry Mundell Aitken. Kate and Henry subsequently had two children, Mary and Anne. At the time of their marriage, Henry was working as a clerk at a local bank; but several years later, he and Kate bought a poultry farm. Kate also began a canning business. Although she had little experience with farming, she had immersed herself in every book and government publication she could find, and soon acquired enough expertise to begin giving talks about such topics as raising fruits and vegetables for the Ontario Department of Agriculture. She and her husband also became known locally for the success of their poultry farm: by 1924, they had about 600 egg-laying hens. Homemaking expert As was the custom in the early 1900s, newspapers generally referred to her as "Mrs. Henry Aitken" or "Mrs. H.M. Aitken"; it was rare for her first name to be used. But she had begun to become well known for her homemaking and farm management skills, and women's page reporters in Toronto were praising her as a "practical farm business woman." In 1923, she set up a "Country Kitchen" in the Women’s Building of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, where she gave