Meet Baggot Street’s Regina Bolling and Barbara Bloomgren

The paths that have led Regina Bolling and Barbara Bloomgren to Baggot Street have been varied, but they meet with one shared feeling: the joy of seeing smiles cross student’s faces at Baggot. When asked about their favorite thing at Saint Joseph’s College, Regina and Barbara both lit up behind their masks to proclaim very simply: “the students”.

Regina was raised in Nuremberg, Germany, and came to the states when she was 19 via Georgia, and eventually settled in Casco. She spent many years feeding students in other learning settings and has always loved being able to interact with students. Working side-by -side with student employees at Baggot combines her love of cooking and spending quality time with our students. Don’t forget to look out for some of Regina’s favorite meals which are sometimes featured as the hot-meal of the day!

Barbara was raised in Bradford, Pennsylvania, (known for zippo lighters and Kendall motor oil) and moving to Maine 22 years ago came with the bonus of experiencing the ocean for the first time! A new chapter of her life opened up when she decided to go back to school and was drawn to a culinary program. While in school she did semesters in both Prince Edward Island and Austria where she specialized in pastry making! When the opportunity presented itself, she took a leap and opened Towanda’s, her restaurant in Bridgton where her favorite comfort food to cook was chicken pot pie.

Both Regina and Barbara’s stories intersect with a deep love of our community. Baggot Street gives them the opportunity to share their love of cooking and experience the joy of feeding our community. Next time you’re in Baggot wondering which sandwich to choose from, say hi to Regina and Barbara, ask them to share their favorite meal, and share a bit about your life.

Help us make Baggot our community hub! Tell us what you’d like on the menu, join us at the fun SERL events, and bring yourself and a good story to share with a friend over a meal.

Regina’s Favorite Food: “I love everything, but if I have to choose, it would be New York style brick oven pizza.”

Barbara’s favorite thing about SJC: “The community, and I also love that we source foods as locally as we can.”