Olympia baker proud of her Food Network appearance, even prouder of changing her life
Local baker Phoebe Martinson, who owns two Phoebe’s pastry shops in west Olympia, has been eliminated from a Halloween-themed Food Network program after just two episodes.
Martinson is proud of her appearance on the TV show, but she’s even prouder of what she’s accomplished with her personal health. That’s because in March 2021 she weighed more than 300 pounds, she said.
“I changed my whole life,” Martinson said.
The baking competition
She was among a dozen bakers featured on Season 9 of the Halloween Baking Championship, which premiered Sept. 11.
Martinson said she got tripped up by a doughnut challenge, acknowledging that she does not have any fryers at her pastry businesses.
Still, she has no regrets about appearing on the TV show, a network she first reached out to in 2016. They contacted her this past spring through a casting company.
She practiced baking while timing herself to get ready for the show, but once there she realized she wasn’t on “home turf” and found herself on a large stage, searching through unfamiliar equipment and ingredients.
“It was fun and exciting,” she said. “Did I perform like I do in my businesses? No.”
The upside is that she returned to what she called her beautiful life in Olympia and that she wouldn’t be upset about the experience.
“I really did not want to go on TV and be humiliated, so I decided to give it my best shot and see what happens,” she said.
After she was eliminated, she said her cell phone “blew up” with calls from friends and family, saying she had been treated unfairly by the judges, or customers came into her cafes and said, “You got robbed.”
“C’mon, c’mon, stop it,” said Phoebe in response. “It’s fine.”
Her journey
Martinson grew up in Olympia, attended Olympia High School and then headed to Seattle to attend culinary school. She later taught at New Market Skills Center in Tumwater for 15 years and then opened the pastry cafes. One is just off Cooper Point Road, not far from the Olympia Auto Mall, while the other is on Division Street at Fourth Avenue West.
The location on Division Street is about to turn seven years old, while the Cooper Point Road business has been around for 12-13 years, she said.
But more than two years ago, Martinson realized she had to address her health. She weighed 332 pounds.
“I didn’t feel good,” she said.
Yet she couldn’t fathom the idea of walking into a Planet Fitness and working herself into a “sweaty mess.”
“No, there’s no way,” she said. “I was humiliated and ashamed of myself.”
Instead, Martinson hired a personal trainer and together they set a goal for her to lose 10 pounds a month. Using a combination of exercise and better nutrition (Martinson also quit drinking on a daily basis), she lost 100 pounds in the first nine months. She’s now half the size she was, Martinson said.
Along the way she launched Phoebe Gets Fit on Instagram, and it has become a social media hit, attracting 12,000 followers.
Her steps toward better health have inspired her husband, sons and friends to work out as well, she said.
Another factor in getting healthy is that she watched her father die at 62.
“I’m not going to do that to my two sons,” she said.
Martinson is now back in Olympia where she continues to be a hands-on, working business owner.
“I’m so proud to be a business owner in this community,” she said. “The support is all so wonderful and they treat my staff great and are so generous. I’m grateful.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Olympia baker proud of her Food Network appearance, even prouder of changing her life."
