Our Team
Janine E. Oberstadt
Owner/Principal
For more than 30 years, Janine has enjoyed a diverse career in restaurant operations and in contract management services for colleges, universities, corporate dining, conference centers and cooking schools. Her previous positions include self-op corporate foodservice director and general manager, as well as operations director with a premier hospitality contract management company. In addition to Janine’s impressive operations portfolio, she’s led and implemented strategic hospitality initiatives – creating innovative programs in health and wellness, employee training and development and sustainability.
Janine holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Cincinnati and has advanced her training at the Culinary Institute of America, Ritz Carlton, and the Disney Institute. She has completed sustainability training with the U.S. Green Building Council, Energy-Star and the Food Service Technology Center. She is an accredited LEED® Green Associate. Janine is a frequent guest lecturer on the topic of sustainability to the hospitality industry.
As Janine saw clients struggling with “where to begin?” in the quest for improved sustainability in their operations, the idea for foodprint™ was born. The company’s sole mission is to assist clients in determining what their sustainability goals are—and to help them implement practical solutions to realize them.
As founding principal, Janine is the foodprint™ ambassador to our clients and trade partners and coordinates all phases of client care, from initial site visit to final program implementation.
Marnie Suhr
Supply Chain Coordinator
Marnie meticulously keeps track of sustainable products and services for our 30 supply chain categories. She’s also foodprint™’s ambassador to vendors and partners.
Marnie possesses a versatile skill set. Not only did she train at culinary school and work for 12 years in the restaurant business, she also earned a degree in Natural Resource Management from Grand Valley State University. As a result, she has a firm grasp of hands-on restaurant operations and can speak authoritatively on the subject of environmental sustainability. These talents served her well in past positions as restaurant service manager and sustainability coordinator: she successfully trained front-of-the-house sales staff, facilitated restaurant “green teams”, and integrated new green practices into mature operations.
We often rely on Marnie’s infectious enthusiasm for recycling and composting to help us convince even the most skeptical of chefs and pantry staff to “save it for the bin.”
Martin Murphy
Culinary Consultant
For more than 30 years, Chef Martin Murphy has practiced his unique culinary style in fine dining establishments, with contract management companies, and in culinary education. While working extensively in restaurants throughout Florida and New England, Martin trained under classic European chefs and American celebrity chefs, ultimately creating an exciting cuisine of his own. His reputation has earned him regular press coverage as well as a coveted invitation to serve as guest chef at the famed James Beard House in New York City.
While working in Florida for the contract management company Creative Dining Services, Martin developed a fascination for sustainable foodservice. Surrounded by a bounty of local growers, artisan cheese makers, bakers, fishmongers and organic wine producers, he created menus and culinary curriculum with a local, seasonal and organic theme. As his audience caught on to his passion for “real food”, demand grew for him to lecture to school groups and other civic organizations about the benefits of eating locally grown, healthy food.
In 2007, Martin was the lead culinary contributor, recipe developer, and frequent guest lecturer to Creative Dining Services’ Food Matters™, a sustainability program that advocates using local, organic, and sustainably raised fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins in college and university dining.
Today, Martin is the Executive Chef at Stella’s Italian Kitchen & Market in Lyme, New Hampshire, where his “real food” is served daily. foodprint™ is pleased to offer his enthusiasm and culinary expertise to our clients.
Karen Mouw
Artistic Director
Why does a sustainability consultancy need an art director? Karen’s job at foodprint™ is to make us all look good – using sustainable design, materials, and resources.
While still an art student at Grand Rapids Community College, Karen began creating innovative window designs for large retailers. Soon, her contacts in the hospitality industry were recruiting her to do display work for large food distributors’ trade show booths and showrooms, as well as interior work in restaurants. Throughout her career, Karen has used her skills to redefine spaces in retail cafés, cafeteria serveries, bookstores, conference centers, and corporate executive dining rooms.
foodprint™ clients who want to reinvent their spaces in a sustainable way will benefit from Karen’s breadth of knowledge. She’s an expert forager for green commercial interior products and she has a network of the most qualified installers.
Emily Hunt
Researcher
With a flair for research and an appraising eye, Emily keeps our team up-to-date on the growing number of new sustainable goods and services appearing on the foodservice market.
A recent graduate, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Art with a minor in Geology and Environmental Studies from Hope College. As a student, she was co-president of the campus’ Environmental Issues Group and a board member of the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition. She also worked extensively in foodservice – as a coffee bar barista, deli/bakery employee and catering operation worker.
Our team especially relies on Emily’s research skills when it comes to examining new products and services we’re not too sure about.
Advisory Board
Tamara K. Patrick
Director, Global Innovation & Leadership Development
Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of home appliances.
www.whirpoolcorp.com
Prescott Slee
Corporate Hospitality Director
Herman Miller, Inc.
Herman Miller, Inc. is a leading global provider of office furniture and services that create great places to live, learn, work and heal.
www.hermanmiller.com
Jim W. Sukenik
President
Bakergroup
Bakergroup is an award-winning foodservice consulting firm that has provided expert support in evaluation, planning and design for over two decades.
www.bakergroup.com
John Weeman
President
Partners in Development
Partners in Development provides expertise, knowledge and tools to successfully guide a real estate owner or municipality through the complex world of hospitality development.
www.partnersindevelopment.us
