It's Tea Time!

Tea parties are not just for the little girls who line up their stuffed animals and serve water from a tiny toy teapot. No, the tea parties given by Clyde and Darlene Olson are for anyone who wants a little pampering, some exquisite food and wonderful company. All this is served with a heaping portion of ambiance and character.

A tea party at the Olson's is like stepping back in time, a time when high tea took priority and the food for that meal was prepared and served with loving care and an eye for design.

The setting for tea is the Olson's beautiful Victorian home in Markesan. This stately house was built in 1900 by Charles Smith, owner of a local canning company, and sits on almost a full city block. The Olson's are only the fourth owners to live in this grand home. Clyde tends the sprawling lawn and flower gardens during the summer months, while Darlene directs the Christmas decorating during the holiday season.

The Olson's, also known as "Bonnie and Clyde," purchased the house in 1992. They are also the owners of Prairie Lanes Entertainment Center, a bowling center just outside of Markesan. As president of the Markesan Chamber of Commerce, promoter of the Green Lake County area and just an all-around "good guy," Clyde is known for his generosity and hospitality. Darlene is an excellent cook, who can whip up seven course meals and has been known to provide food for hundreds of hungry people on a weekly basis.

They opened their Victorian Tea House as a way to bring people into Markesan. The tea parties were started about five years ago and have included bus tours, Red Hat groups, summer school classes and visitors from out of state. They have hosted birthday parties, class reunions and garden clubs.

The parties are held by reservation only, as there is quite a bit of preparation that takes place beforehand. There are usually three days of groundwork that takes place before every tea party, but much of the preparation cannot be done until the very last minute. So the kitchen becomes the center of activity as the guests arrive.

Darlene makes all the food fresh from scratch, and they use as much local produce and groceries as possible. A sample menu might include appetizers and entrees such as: fresh fruit compote, Asian cashew chicken salad in wonton cups, chicken salad with grapes on a bed of lettuce and fresh vegetable pasta salad with Darlene's special sauce and seasonings. There are savories like: ham and egg salad on wheat, cucumber and tomato on bagel crisps with special herbed seasoned spread, and ham and herbed cream cheese with Jezebel sauce.

It's the desserts that draw the most compliments – there are lemon, raspberry and key lime bars, French breakfast puffs, scones with clotted cream, blueberry or cranberry orange and fresh frozen strawberry jam, strawberry glazed amaretto cheesecake, and a triple chocolate cake filled with caramel, fudge and butterscotch with dollops of whipped cream. And, of course, a tea party wouldn't be complete without the tea, which is served fresh and hot from beautiful antique teapots and cups.

While the tone of the tea party is one of relaxation, hospitality and warmth, it takes plenty of organization and planning to complete. Darlene is very particular with her cooking and each plate of food that leaves the kitchen is a work of art. "Darlene's specialty, the strawberry glazed amaretto cheesecake, takes hours itself," Clyde said.

Not ones to shy away from hard work, the Olson's are kept very busy year round with upkeep of their home, the bowling center, tea party planning, community involvement and their family. Always up to a challenge, last year they froze 47 pounds of strawberry jam. You could even say that Darlene puts her whole heart into the food reparation -- one year she was making jam at three o'clock in the morning, had a tea party and suffered a heart attack the next day. Three days after heart surgery, Darlene was back in the kitchen cooking for 30 ladies.

Clyde and Darlene share the history of their beautiful home with visitors. A tour of the home includes the extensive outdoor gardens. If visitors wish to make their travels to the Markesan area a full day, the Olson's recommend a visit to the Grand Valley Museum, which Clyde calls, "the world's best kept secret." They are also able to provide directions for visits to the local Amish community, downtown shopping and other local places of interest.

"We've had repeat customers," Clyde said. "One lady was here three times. We get a lot of people by word of mouth, someone had such a good time and the word spreads. So many people have never heard of Markesan and we are able to make it a fun daytrip."

The tea party reservations start in May, which is a beautiful time with the 65 lilac trees and dogwoods in bloom. In the past, the tea parties ran all year, with fruit compote in the summer and soups in the winter. When the Olson's daughter moved from the area due to a change in jobs, and after Darlene's heart attack, they decided to take some time off during the winter. The tea parties now run through the summer months and the season wraps up in September when the bowling season begins.

It's really nice to see people appreciate what we do," Clyde said. "The people we meet are just the nicest."