That’s the way the cookie crumbles
Managing editor
There’s no doubt about it. When people meet Frank Buckman of rural Marion, who can be seen every Saturday morning in front of St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary Shoppe in Marion, they see someone who loves being around people and enjoys baking.
He sits behind a table of homemade cookies and biscuits, waving as cars drive by, and speaking to all who walk past him.
This weekly ritual, which also includes a booth at Marion’s Farm and Art Market on Wednesdays in Central Park, is more than an opportunity to talk to people and sell his tasty treats.
Buckman makes the cookies and biscuits because he loves to.
He’s selling his baked goods because he needs the money.
His story is a familiar one. The disabled Vietnam veteran was laid off a few years ago from Beachcraft in Wichita, where he had been employed for 13 years. He hasn’t been able to find employment since.
“I have 50 percent disability,” he said Saturday, which provides a modest pension but not enough to support the 60-year-old and his wife, Cindy.
The couple moved from Wichita to Marion in 1999. After he was laid off, they downsized their Marion property and reduced expenses by moving to Pilsen.
“I visited Marion and liked it,” Buckman said.
He said he really enjoys living in the even smaller community of Pilsen.
“I returned from Wyoming to Wichita to help care for my 100-year-old grandmother,” Buckman said, which he did until her death.
Buckman now helps his aging father who still lives in Wichita.
To pass his time and to provide additional income for his family, Buckman said he uses only the best and freshest ingredients in his homemade confections and biscuits.
“I haven’t had butter in my house since 1969,” he said. And he only uses pure cane sugar.
This day, his treats included four kinds of cookies — peach pecan oatmeal, apple cinnamon almond oatmeal, old-fashioned refrigerator, and peanut butter.
“I also make the best biscuits in the state,” he said, matter-of-factly, claiming they are good for biscuits and gravy and with butter and jelly, but “really good” for strawberry shortcake.
“That’s how it used to be,” Buckman said.
As people lined up at his table, Buckman, with his quick smile and wit, provided samples and told how he made each of the delectable samplings.
Most bought a package or two after a taste — or two.
Besides baking cookies and biscuits, Buckman said he enjoys making barbecue and is constantly honing his cooking style. He grows his own herbs and vegetables, and uses them in his dishes.
Buckman acquired his taste for International cuisine after he was wounded serving in the U.S. Army. He became an intelligence analyst, which required him to travel throughout the world. It also gave him the unique opportunity to taste foods from other countries.
These days, he can’t afford to fly to other countries or eat at five-star restaurants. So, he makes the food he loves so much at home.
With all smiles and kidding aside, Buckman is concerned about his future.
“I have to find work,” he said. “I can do about anything.”
Buckman said he is in good, general health despite two herniated discs in his back.
He would prefer a full-time job but at this point, he is willing to take about anything.
So in the meantime, he will continue to bake and sell, talking with people, and hoping a job opportunity will come his way.