2008 Woodie Awards
Guest chef from Freedom Café cooks dinner in Bobs
Kathleen Maynard
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News & Features
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I sat on the shelving next to the doors to Robert's Dining Hall last Wednesday night watching a large line form in anticipation of guest chef Janice Swinton from the Freedom Café. "This night has been marked on my calendar for weeks, I am so excited for the food," Kate Biddiscombe '07, first in line, said.
Swinton is the owner of the Freedom Café, located at 144 College Avenue in Waterville. She is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Kansas. She has been a hospital administrator and a journalist. She is a Christian, a missionary, a writer, a chef. She bustled into a Bob's at 4:55 p.m. ready for whatever came her way. As it was, I was the first person to come her way, entreating her for a brief interview. We walked into the kitchen to preview the evening's meal-fried chicken, warm, thick macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread. "Oh my, that looks good," Swinton said, viewing the overflowing serving dishes. We headed over to a table with a plate of samples.
As Swinton described her life history, I got the impression that she is has simply floated through time and space with no strings attached. "I graduated from the University of Kansas at age thirty-two-a bit of late bloomer." She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism, a field that she dove into as a newspaper and magazine writer. Prior to her enrollment at UK, Swinton had spent years working in hospitals and working on her faith, becoming a Christian in 1984. Two years later, Swinton embarked on a path of missionary work, which lead her to China where she smuggled Bibles in 1986, followed by other locales, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Western Africa. After adventuring around the world in so many pursuits, Swinton decided it was time to settle down in the woods and write for a while; thus, she came to Maine.
Swinton initially settled in Portland but soon decided that the city was not quite remote enough and moved north to Waterville where she found familiar work at MaineGeneral Hospital. Familiarity, however, was not the object of her quest, so she continued to contemplate. One day early in 1999, Swinton took a walk downtown and came across a building for rent. "Without any experience, without a menu, or a recipe, without a plan, I decided to rent the building and start a restaurant," she said. The Freedom Café came to life. "Things didn't pick up right away, but Colby gave us a lot of support that first summer of '99, with faculty and residence halls bringing groups of students down."
Swinton is the owner of the Freedom Café, located at 144 College Avenue in Waterville. She is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Kansas. She has been a hospital administrator and a journalist. She is a Christian, a missionary, a writer, a chef. She bustled into a Bob's at 4:55 p.m. ready for whatever came her way. As it was, I was the first person to come her way, entreating her for a brief interview. We walked into the kitchen to preview the evening's meal-fried chicken, warm, thick macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread. "Oh my, that looks good," Swinton said, viewing the overflowing serving dishes. We headed over to a table with a plate of samples.
As Swinton described her life history, I got the impression that she is has simply floated through time and space with no strings attached. "I graduated from the University of Kansas at age thirty-two-a bit of late bloomer." She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism, a field that she dove into as a newspaper and magazine writer. Prior to her enrollment at UK, Swinton had spent years working in hospitals and working on her faith, becoming a Christian in 1984. Two years later, Swinton embarked on a path of missionary work, which lead her to China where she smuggled Bibles in 1986, followed by other locales, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Western Africa. After adventuring around the world in so many pursuits, Swinton decided it was time to settle down in the woods and write for a while; thus, she came to Maine.
Swinton initially settled in Portland but soon decided that the city was not quite remote enough and moved north to Waterville where she found familiar work at MaineGeneral Hospital. Familiarity, however, was not the object of her quest, so she continued to contemplate. One day early in 1999, Swinton took a walk downtown and came across a building for rent. "Without any experience, without a menu, or a recipe, without a plan, I decided to rent the building and start a restaurant," she said. The Freedom Café came to life. "Things didn't pick up right away, but Colby gave us a lot of support that first summer of '99, with faculty and residence halls bringing groups of students down."
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