The Last Kitchen Fire
After nearly two decades, the time has come for The Cafeteria Lady to hang up her food-stained and fire- singed apron and put away her recipe book for the safety of mankind. Over the years we’ve had slumber- party recipe contests, makeover contests, cleanest and messiest bedroom contests, mom and dad tribute contests and much more.

We’ve had a lot of fun and have covered just about every school subject from cheerleading to lockers to history tests to oral reports. I’ve even eaten my way across America on The Cafeteria Lady Tour and enjoyed meeting many of you, as well as your cafeteria workers. You can read all about the trip in The Cafeteria Lady Eats Her Way Across America (And Lives to Tell About It!).

We’ve shared food, laughs and even tears as you helped me write Saying Goodbye When You Don’t Want To, a book about dealing with loss. Thank you for the thousands of e-mails and letters from virtually every state, as well as many foreign countries, including Africa, Pakistan, Australia, Canada, England, Bahrain and other faraway places.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our time together as much as I have. You accepted me with all my faults. I can’t cook (for years my family thought mold was a frosting), but you loved me anyway. I can’t sew (I wear a full body thimble), but you didn’t hold that against me. I can’t sing (I have the only choir robe that comes with a gag), but you accepted me anyway.

You didn’t let any of my failures get in the way of our friendship. For that reason, Brio readers will always, always have a warm place in my heart.

I wish you all the best in the coming years. Please keep in touch. I enjoy hearing from you. Don’t think I’ll disappear from the pages of Brio altogether. From time to time I’ll pop in to share some laughs or news or whatever else I think might be of interest to you. Until then, keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine.

God bless,
Martha Bolton
“The Cafeteria Lady”

To relive those Cafeteria Lady moments, check out her past columns.