A registered dietitian, Marleen Swanson worked as a clinical dietitian at the University of Minnesota Hospitals, the University of Colorado Medical Center and at various hospitals in Saudi Arabia. After receiving the Grand Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, Swanson worked in a charcuterie. She relocated to Corsica, where she cooked in the Ile de Beaute’ Restaurant. Upon returning to the United States, Swanson worked as the director of the test kitchen for Cuisinart in Connecticut, and later at A la Carte Restaurant in Boulder, CO.