Collingswood Food Swappers Take Over American Table

For Sue Maynard, who grew up in Maine, cooking and baking were a means of staving off boredom. 

When she and her husband Dave moved to Collingswood, there were a lot more things to do, but Sue hadn't lost her touch in the kitchen. 

Then the Maynards met chef Denine Gorniak, and suddenly those long New England hours translated into sweet rewards.

Gorniak, who blogs as alter ego, "The Bicycle Chef," kickstarted the Collingswood Food Swappers: a village-style potluck based on the structure of a cookie exchange.

"I borrowed the idea from Philly Food Swappers," Gorniak said. "I was so inspired by the event I went to...I thought, 'I can do this. I don't want to wait for the next event. I want to do it myself.'"

So Gorniak did a dry run at her Collingswood home with a few neighbors, like the Maynards. It went so well that she started up a Facebook group for food swappers.

The group hosted its second event last week at The American Table in Collingswood.

Gorniak said she believes food swapping is a community touchstone; "some nerve center that harkens back to small-town life in the modern age," she said. 

"I think people are really interested in doing their food thing and bringing it to the masses."

For Gorniak's take on food-swap culture and tips on what makes a good food swap recipe, watch the video above.