About Ginny O’s
Meet Ginny O
A famous 1850s family recipe, one determined woman from Raleigh, and a cheese straw that traveled from her kitchen to the tarmac, the television screen and your table.
The recipe
From great-grandmother’s kitchen to yours
Ginny O’s began with a recipe handed down from Ginny’s great-grandmother, one that has been in the family since the 1850s.
In 2000, a thumb injury kept Ginny grounded and gave her the time to do something she had always wanted: turn that recipe into a business. The first year was all groundwork, testing, packaging, and learning what it takes to put a family recipe on a shelf.
Today the straws are still made the way they always were, by hand, with real cheddar, real butter, and spices.
The journey
From one recipe to a national favorite
A few of the moments that carried Ginny O’s from a home kitchen to tables across the country.
2000
A thumb injury, a family recipe
Grounded by an injury, Ginny turns her great-grandmother’s recipe into Ginny O’s. The first year is all about laying the groundwork.
2001
A new focus
With the airline industry upended after September 11, Ginny puts her energy into building the business.
2003
Straight to the national stage
Ginny sends a sample to O, The Oprah Magazine, and the magazine runs a feature on Ginny O’s.
2003
A request for the First Lady
The Secret Service calls ahead of a Raleigh luncheon and asks for two 5-pound bags of cheese straws for First Lady Laura Bush to take aboard Air Force One.
2003
The tarmac kitchen
Needing more room to bake, Ginny is allowed to use an airline catering kitchen at the airport, arriving each day on a pink Schwinn bicycle.
2008
On the Food Network
The Food Network films a story on Ginny O’s, and orders climb after it airs.
2014
The Tar Heel Traveler
Scott Mason, the Tar Heel Traveler, features Ginny O’s in his stories on North Carolina small businesses.
2019
Growing the reach
Ginny works with a food broker, and orders begin coming in through Faire and B&B Distributors across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
2022
Joining the MyPillow marketplace
Ginny O’s cheese straws appear on the MyPillow website, reaching customers far from Raleigh.
A family of service
Raised by a hero
Ginny’s father, Capt. Hugh Beverley Johnson (1916–2012), flew bombers for the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. That same refusal to stay grounded is part of the Ginny O’s story.
- Flight crew leader, 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group
- Credited with 26 combat missions and the rank of captain
- Shot down over Holland on March 30, 1945, and held as a prisoner of war in Germany until liberation
- Later served in the North Carolina National Guard and built a career in business
- His wartime collection is documented by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Taste the story
Made by hand, shared with love
Original or gluten free, tins for gifting or bags for the pantry. Try the recipe that started it all.