An international modeling career, a short stint as a magazine editor and owner of two small businesses sounds like a full resume after a decades-long career. But Cincinnati native Margeurite Swallow has accomplished all that, and more, at age 23. Her latest venture, a commercially-licensed community kitchen in Over-the-Rhine, continues to evolve.
Swallow grew up in Wyoming, Ohio, earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio University, and never thought she would end up back in Cincinnati -- at least not so soon. But her most recent venture, FeedWorks, a commercially-licensed community kitchen that is rentable by the hour and aimed at helping small businesses get off the ground, might have her planting long-lasting roots not far from where she grew up.
While FeedWorks has only been on her mind since December, she hopes to have the business up and operational this year. Swallow's hard work and know-how is a natural outgrowth of her rather unorthodox life experience.
While in college at OU, Swallow nurtured a modeling career that started off with an ad campaign for Chanel when she was just 18. Swallow has modeled all over the world in both ad campaigns and on runways. She recalls hitting Marc Jacobs with a piece of granola backstage while trying to toss a piece into her own mouth during a fashion show. Despite her successes, and a gig in Paris last September, Swallow never counted on modeling to be her lifelong career.
“I’ll still take jobs as I can get them,” Swallow says. But the up-and-coming entrepreneur plans on spending more time on her non-modeling businesses in the near future.
After college, Swallow came back to Cincinnati for a job at Claims Magazine in Northern Kentucky. After a few months of working in the insurance industry, she quickly became an assistant editor. But by then, Swallow knew she couldn’t live a life in a cubicle. Shortly thereafter, she and her younger sister decided to start their own tasty enterprise, and
Phro*Zen was born.
With no formal culinary training, Swallow and her sister Ellen set out to make vegan ice cream, an effort to share the joy of sweet cold treats with people who live vegan lives. They tested several recipes from a kitchen near Wyoming until they found a mix that worked. Phro*Zen, billed as "a taste of nirvana," is sold in stores such as
Park + Vine and
Picnic and Pantry and known for unusual flavors like Mexican Hot Chocolate and Matcha and Chai tea.
As the ice cream's fan base grew, ownership of the Wyoming kitchen changed. Swallow realized she had to find a new place to work. That’s when she got the idea for FeedWorks, a kind of co-op kitchen for tastefully minded business owners. Swallow believes that FeedWorks is a viable concept, especially after her struggle to start Phro*Zen.
“The process of finding a kitchen, getting a license and passing health inspections is a chore,” she says.
Her dream is to offer space for entrepreneurs interested in everything from catering to wholesaling to bakers to organic-based body care.
Swallow hopes that her new kitchen space will be rented out to business owners who will work cooperatively. In the front of the space, a small store could be set up to showcase products made by FeedWorks' businesses. Swallow plans to create Phro*Zen in the kitchen and manage the space herself.
“I know I’m going to spend all my time there,” Swallow says. “But the process of creating something is so rewarding.”
Swallow uses the connections she has made from her different experiences to help her along the way. While taking her products into small businesses, she has talked to many owners about starting a business and gained insight into what it takes.
“Cincinnati is a beautiful and challenging environment for a business, but there are roadblocks through the entire process,” she says. “There is no direct route to opening a business. I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark. If I can help people out along the way, why wouldn’t I?”
Despite legal wranglings, Swallows says that encouragement from her customers, and in the city in general, makes the work more than worth it. That encouraging environment is an essential part of has kept her here.
“After I quit the job at the magazine, I was at a split,” Swallow says. “I stayed here because of the energy this city has right now.”
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