Snapshot is a new Andover News feature where we profile people doing interesting things in town with a short Q&A interview. Know of someone we should feature in Snapshot? Let us know.
Jim Swasey joined Andover Elder Services as Manager of Food and Nutritional Services in March. With more than 25 years in the culinary world, Swasey plans to expand food services and programming at the Robb Center.
What drew you to a career in food service?
I got started in culinary arts after college, working as a line cook at a local restaurant in Pennsylvania since I was unsure what sort of career path I wanted to take. The sous-chef at the restaurant become a mentor for me and recommended I attend culinary school. I took his advice and attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, which was a great experience. After graduating from CIA, I got a job offer to work at a private club in downtown Boston, which brought me to New England. Over the last 20+ years here, I’ve worked at some catering outfits, was a kitchen manager at a special-education school and had the opportunity to teach numerous culinary classes at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.
This is your first job working directly with seniors. How did you end up in this position?
Working at a special-education school during the pandemic was extremely challenging. In 2021, I decided to leave the school setting and worked for a while at a job-training non-profit, providing culinary training to impoverished individuals looking for a new direction in life. The work was rewarding, but the non-profit world comes with its own set of challenges, so after about a year there, I started looking for other jobs that required culinary experience, but also could also offer the type of intangible meaning that I’d enjoyed in both schools and the training program. When I interviewed for the Robb Center listing, I felt strongly that the Meals on Wheels program and all the other services we provide checked all the boxes in terms of elements I was looking for. So far, it seems like a great fit.
What are the biggest challenges of working in a kitchen service elders?
For me, the biggest challenge in working with a senior population is learning the nutritional guidelines that we adhere to. We partner with an outside agency for nutritional guidance and retraining my palate to produce low-sodium meals is an aspect of the job that I still have to get used to!
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is getting to work with our dedicated group of volunteers, who donate so much of their time and efforts to make all our culinary programs run smoothly. I might look at a huge prep list of things that need to get done for the day and before I can start, 5 volunteers have already crossed off most of the list. The Andover community is very fortunate to have so many devoted members, because I don’t know how everything would get done without them.
What are the most popular meals/dishes served at the Robb Center?
Our most popular dishes usually fall into the “classic comfort food” category. Dishes like Pot Roast, Stuffed Shells, Roast Pork and Chicken Pot Pie are big sellers. One of our volunteers makes a Spinach & Phyllo Pie that’s out of this world.
Any plans for menu changes and/or new options?
I’m hoping to introduce some new comfort items, like a classic Meatloaf and Beef Stroganoff. We’ve already started making soups on a semi-regular basis and as I get more established, I’d like to incorporating more global flavors onto our menus. I love exploring different cuisines and cultures and from the feedback I’ve gotten from the Robb Center community, I think exploring the world through food will be greatly appreciated.
Photo: Robb Center/Facebook