Jodi Johnston is from Wenatchee, Washington and has been baking professionally for over 10 years. She owns and operates Cake Chic Studio with her mother-in-law-turned-best-friend, Sandy. When she’s not drumming up extravagant wedding cakes, you can find her in the kitchen as the executive pastry chef at Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery. She has a secret recipe that she’ll NEVER spill, but will pass down to her beloved baby granddaughter, Penelope. Follow Jodi on Instagram.
JC grew up in Louisberg, Kansas, a small farming town with a population of 1,500. As a child, JC’s beloved mother taught him to bake. She’d always say, “dessert is a must,” and JC still carries on that tradition with gusto. By day, JC works as an auditor for Costco Wholesale, but he’s famous around Kansas City for his decadent desserts. When his partner developed Type B Lymphoma in 2012, JC stayed home to care for him. Baking once again was a source of comfort. Then, as his partner’s health improved, JC spent his free time donating homemade cookies and desserts around the community. JC’s now specializes in custom cakes and handcrafted macaroons. Every single day, he “accidentally” whips up extravagant desserts to share with loved ones, clients and his favorite charities. Follow JC on Instagram.
This freshly baked new murder mystery introduces Hannah Swensen (Alison Sweeney), a creative and bubbly baker extraordinaire in a sleepy town in Minnesota, where everyone knows each other and secrets don’t stay hidden for long. Hannah’s bakeshop, the Cookie Jar, is where much of the town's gossip percolates along with the strong coffee. But after she finds her good friend and delivery driver shot dead in the alley behind her shop, Hannah’s idyllic world is turned upside down.
With The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a mouthwatering monopoly on the bakery business of Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when a rival store opens, and one of the owners is found shot to death in the store, Hannah is determined to prove that she wasn't the only one who had an axe to grind with the Quinn sisters. Somebody wasn't fooled by the Georgia Peaches and their sweet-as-pie act--and now it's up to Hannah to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder. Stars Alison Sweeney, Barbara Niven and Cameron Mathison.
Learn more about the Hallmark Mystery movie, "A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," starring Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison and Barbara Niven.
Bakery owner Hannah Swensen just can’t keep her hands out of the batter when murder stirs things up in Lake Eden, Minnesota, leaving the sheriff dead, a deputy accused, and a killer on the loose. For years, Sheriff Grant’s been the iron hand in town, but when his dead body is discovered, Hannah’s brother-in-law is accused of the crime. Soon, Hannah’s dishing up scandalous secrets, steaming hot betrayals, and enough intrigue to keep the gossip mill at The Cookie Jar going through several pots of decaf. And the closer Hannah gets to the truth, the closer she gets to finding the murderer with a calorie-laden, nasty recipe for silencing people. Starring Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison, and Barbara Niven.
