Nicole Swartz

Chef Nicole Swartz started her journey at the University of Illinois in Springfield as a biology major. She quickly realized this was not the path she wanted to continue on. She moved to Chicago and began studying baking and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu.  For twelve years, she worked in restaurants, hotels, and bakeries in the city trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible.  After returning home to central Illinois, she began teaching at Lincoln Land Community College and then on to Capital Area Career Center.  Here is where she spent six years teaching high school juniors and seniors all things food.  She joined SIU School of Medicine in early 2025 and is the chef of the Culinary Medicine Program at SIU. She has happily embraced plant-forward cooking and she can now fiber-up any recipe.