PITTSFIELD – When Tom Swieczkowski was growing up, he had a difficult relationship with his father. “He was very strict, a real disciplinarian,” Swieczkowski recalled this week. But his father also loved to putter about in the kitchen and the young man quickly figured out that he could be his dad’s right hand man.

“I could help,” Swieczkowski said, “and therefore bond with my father. It was finally a love of something that we could share.”

Those early lessons in the family kitchen turned into a lifelong passion for Swieczkowski, who was named Student of the Year Wednesday in the culinary arts program of Eastern Maine Community College.

At 50, Swieczkowski switched gears from a manufacturing representative to cook, heading back to school and garnering a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He started with simple sauces and soups, added fancy garnishes and more complicated recipes and ended with extravagant pastries and desserts.

“I think I was a bit scared, a little apprehensive when I started school, but then I started cooking and knew it was going to be fine,” he said.

Along the way, Swieczkowski said he realized he was feeding his passion.

“Food holds memories. Food is about passion,” he said. “And I am very passionate about food.”

Swieczkowski stopped for a moment to serve his wife, Leslie, and a guest iced, minted English tea and a scoop of homemade coconut ice cream.

“There is a great love of food today, partly fueled by the Food Network and other television shows. Food is a big deal. People talk about food. They want to watch it prepared. They are sophisticated eaters, much more aware of exotic ingredients. They have figured out that seasoning goes way beyond just salt and pepper,” he said.

Swieczkowski’s idea of relaxation is cooking – baking bread or herb-roasted chicken, experimenting with new Christmas cookies. His chair in the living room has become an island surrounded by dozens of cookbooks and cooking magazines, what his wife refers to as his “kitchen porn.”

Swieczkowski said his award is only a reflection of the great culinary program at EMCC. “You know, you rise to the excellence of the people around you,” he said. “We had great people in this class.”

After graduation, Swieczkowski said he wants to continue to work in the restaurant industry before opening his own eatery. “I think I need another year or so before I go out on my own,” he said. Once he opens his own place, however, he already has a few ideas. “I would serve comfort foods with a twist,” he said, “like spicy meatloaf or gourmet macaroni and cheese.”

A perfectionist with his cooking, Swieczkowski’s wife said that the night he lost a school dessert cooking contest, with a lemon chiffon and fruit offering, he came home and prepared three different chocolate desserts to try to better his skills.

“He’s turned me into a food snob,” Leslie Swieczkowski said. “You get used to having food that good and everything else tastes pretty plain.”

Swieczkowski said he had an epiphany last summer when he was working at Primo’s in Rockland. He had been working in the kitchen, doing everything from cleaning out the fish pots to rolling the homemade pasta. On his wedding anniversary in August, he brought his wife to Primo’s for dinner. “That day, I had smoked the quail and Leslie said it was so good,” Swieczkowski recalled.

Sitting in the dining room, watching happy customers savor their dinners, Swieczkowski saw the rewards of the hard work going on behind the scenes in the kitchen.

“After that, I really connected with the ownership of the meal. In the end, all the work was worth it and the restaurant owner, Chef Kelly, said I came back the next day with an entirely new attitude.”

Speaking of his EMCC classes, Swieczkowski said, “It has been a great two years. There are tremendous instructors and it was a great class.”

The biggest thrill, he said, is having someone smile when they take a bite and then say how good one of his meals tastes. “It’s like the applause someone in a play or on a sports field gets,” he said. “It’s wonderful.”

Swieczkowski passed on several kitchen tips that he said could improve any cook, from novice to experienced. They were:

. Make sure to taste everything before it is served. You need to know it is seasoned correctly.

. Always use the freshest, best ingredients you can afford – don’t scrimp because the flavor of the dish will suffer.

. A thermometer is vital, both for food safety and to prevent overcooking, but key equipment is also a zester, a garlic press, and a good pair of scissors.

. Purchase the best set of knives you can and take care of them.

. Be willing to experiment and don’t be afraid to fail.

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