The Colonel’s Wife: A love story entwined with treats

Martha’s family

Martha’s family

Judy Ondina

The Friday Farmer’s Market at Robson Ranch is pleased to welcome The Colonel’s Wife to our selection of vendors. Martha Graul has enjoyed baking for as long as she can remember. At age 11 she singlehandedly cooked a meal, baked her Mom’s birthday cake and invited her sisters and their families to join hers (19 people total!) for dinner to celebrate the big day. Growing up in a family of seven provided her plenty of opportunity to cook and bake, and one day a young man who would become The Soldier came along and they fell head over heels in love. After getting married at age 19 she had the perfect companion to test all her baking ideas. Hundreds and hundreds of cookies, cakes, brownies and pies later he considers himself pretty lucky in the sweet side of life.

Martha and the Soldier have traveled all over the United States and Europe, following Uncle Sam’s gentle leading. Somewhere in those travels a dream began to take shape…a love for tea, the smells, tastes, sights and sounds of a cozy hour or two spent tucked away in a tea room, chatting with the many sisters she has met and grown to love. The years have come and gone, they have raised two beautiful daughters and a handsome son, then added two sons-in-law whom they couldn’t have done a better job of choosing themselves. And all along the way Martha has continued to bake. She has baked for family, friends, soldiers, soldiers’ wives, church groups, church groups full of soldiers and anyone she could coerce to drop by to share a cup of tea and a scone at her kitchen table. And nearly every conversation has included some reference to her dream…to one day open a tea room.

After more than 33 years in the Army, The Soldier has now retired and it’s time to think about the fulfillment of this dream. Martha’s daughter, Kate, has come alongside her in this and is proving to be the perfect business partner. She, her husband, The Soldier and Martha have done lots of thinking and have decided to begin by baking to order. They welcome you alongside them in their journey toward a tea room location in Cross Roads, Texas. The Colonel’s Wife is here to serve you! Once your order is placed Martha will use her love for the art as well as many years of experience to create a deliciously fresh baked dream for you to enjoy.

The Living Well Committee encourages you to visit their website: www.thecolonelswife.com to view the menu and service they can provide for you. Their contact number is 940-312-1675. We are simply delighted to welcome them to our Friday Farmer’s Market at Robson Ranch.