The college student’s diet typically includes one or more of the following study staples: Pop-Tarts, Ramen, chips or candy. No student is immune to the freshman 15, so the next time you head off campus for a meal, think healthy and visit the Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery. Whether you’re interested in enjoying locally grown food, homemade baked goods or yummy organic coffee, Swamp Rabbit Café has it all.

Located 10 minutes from campus right off the beautiful Swamp Rabbit Trail, this little café is full of charm. On the outside, the restaurant has a rustic, barn-like appearance. Inside, guests are greeted by friendly, knowledgeable staff as well as the enticing aroma of homemade goodies.

For breakfast or a snack, the restaurant offers a wide variety of scones, muffins and pastries. They also have gluten-free and vegan options.

The lunch and dinner menu includes soup, sandwiches and a unique dish called pogacha, a buttery Turkish pastry stuffed with meat, cheese and veggies. All of the food is locally or organically sourced, allowing for high quality menu items at prices ranging from just $4 to $8.

Swamp Rabbit Café also offers organic espresso drinks, made with care by well-trained employees. One staff member, Catherine Armentrout, said one of her favorite things about the coffee is that it is direct trade. Direct trade, as opposed to fair trade, means that there is no middleman—it comes directly from the roaster, so you know exactly what you’re drinking.

The grocery store, fully stocked with local meats, dairy, produce and more, is as impressive as the café. There is a cold room just for produce that is stocked full of local in-season fruits and veggies. Because all of the food is local, the variety offered changes with season and availability.

Armentrout said the most popular items at Swamp Rabbit Grocery are the farm-fresh eggs, pasture-raised meats and raw milk.

The café’s desire to provide fresh, local food is part of a community-focused outlook. The café often participates in community events, such as the Indie Craft Parade and the farmers markets in Travelers Rest and downtown Greenville. The next event the café and grocery will be participating in is “Secondhand Swamplett Sale,” a yard sale for children’s items, Dec. 7.

In addition, Swamp Rabbit Café regularly holds informative classes covering a wide variety of topics such as gardening, composting, beekeeping and backyard farming.

More information about these events can be found on the café’s website, www.swamprabbitcafe.com.

  Put down the Pop-Tarts and do your health a favor by visiting Swamp Rabbit Café for a fresh, healthy alternative!