Our Story

Quest Food Management Services was founded in 1985 in Lombard, Illinois, with the goal of providing fresh, made from scratch food and intensely personal service. Today, we have grown to over $100M in annual revenue through our partnerships with over 200 accounts in the Midwest. We serve business & industry, higher education, conference centers, and the K-12 segment. We have a depth of experience in facility and equipment design and construction, offer a wealth of expertise in nutrition, marketing, food safety and sanitation, staff management and community building.

In 2023, Quest was ranked #31 in Food Management Magazine's Top 50 food management companies in the United States. This marks the eighth year in a row that Quest has been in the top six regarding growth rate.

We know how to build a fresh, dynamic and interesting food service program that appeals to your community. In fact, we believe we do that better than anyone in the Midwest. We take an approach of building programs that mirror quick serve restaurant approaches popular with students today. We are big enough to offer security and systems and small enough to be nimble to the smallest request.

Jim Peters, CFO

Jim Peters serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Quest Food Management Services, responsible for providing financial stewardship and oversight, as well as process improvement and project management in the areas of purchasing, finance, information technology and administration. Jim received a business degree from the University of Illinois and a Master’s in Business Administration, with Distinction, from DePaul University.

Jim brings over 20 years of previous experience as a Finance Director and Controller, most recently as the Director of Finance for Restaurant Equipment Services. Jim is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Purchasing Professional, and has memberships in the Illinois CPA Society and the American Purchasing Society.

Josh Bain, VP of Operations

Josh Bain serves as the Vice President of Operations for Quest Food Management Services, bringing a decade of food service leadership to the organization. Josh has developed a reputation in the industry as a forward-thinker who excels at motivating and developing his team members. Josh has overseen NSLP partnerships across the entire Midwest market as well as in Texas and Pennsylvania, managing accounts ranging in size from 300-22,000 students.

Josh brings expertise at developing fiscally sound operational strategies and delivering a high-quality end product to students, while honing in on the specific and unique needs of each district partner. Josh has received national recognition for his innovative work in K-12 school foodservice, being named an Action for Healthy Kids School Hero in 2017 and a Food Service Director Magazine Rising Star in 2020.

Eric Gouwens, Associate VP of Business Development

Eric Gouwens serves as the Associate Vice President of Business Development, bringing over 15 years of experience in K-12 food service management. Eric has developed relationships with public, private, and charter schools throughout the U.S. He is passionate and dedicated to delivering food programs that change the status quo, excite, and nourish students.

Prior to joining Quest, Eric served as a Regional Director of Business Development for SFE, where he achieved sales recognition including being the inaugural inductee to the Circle of Honor while overseeing the growth of the Midwest market.

Rebecca Spalding, Regional VP of Operations

Rebecca Spalding serves as the Regional Vice President of Operations for Quest Food Management Services, ensuring operational and guest service excellence in the field. Rebecca has over 15 years of management experience in the food and beverage industry, specializing in leadership development, systems and standardization, sustainability initiatives, and high-level catering and event management.  

Prior to joining Quest, Rebecca worked in hospitality within the sports and entertainment industry, most recently as Director of Operations with Delaware North, overseeing food, beverage and retail at Guaranteed Rate Field. She was also part of the management teams at the highly recognized Target Field and Soldier Field. Rebecca has assisted with many special events throughout the country, including the World Series, All-Star games, Super Bowls, as well as new venue openings in the MLB, NFL and NHL.

Rachel Brown, Regional VP of Operations

Rachel Brown serves as the Regional Vice President of Operations with Quest Food Management Services, overseeing operations in the Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Detroit area. Rachel brings close to 20 years of experience in the food service industry, previously leading operation teams for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and at the nationally-recognized University of Chicago Laboratory Schools with Aramark.

Rachel has helped to integrate Quest systems and operational excellence in our many sectors of business, possessing an impeccable focus on detail. Her delivery of a customized food service experience for each client has enhanced partnership relations, and her integration of food service into the needs of the local community has elevated Quest to an aspirational partner. Rachel attended the University of Illinois in Champaign where she received a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management.

Angela Brumfield, Sr. Director of Human Resources

Angela serves as Sr. Director of Human Resources for Quest Food Management Services with oversight of people strategy in support of all aspects of the employee life cycle. Angela has a wealth of expertise in employee and labor relations, training and development, change management and being a collaborative business partner to Operations.

Prior to Quest, Angela served as Director of Human Resources with Elior North America, leading all HR Operations for Higher Education and K-12 across multiple states. Angela holds a Master’s Degree in HR Management from Clark Atlanta University and a BA in Business Communications from Western Illinois University.

Juan Zuniga, VP of Culinary

Juan Zuniga serves as the Vice President of Culinary for Quest Food Management Services, bringing new innovations and trends to the culinary program while delivering on the core values of the Quest food philosophy. In his 20+ years in the industry, Juan has led a diverse portfolio of concepts from franchise restaurants, to higher education dining and retail programs, overseeing over 20 million in annual revenue.

Juan’s broad understanding of the food service and the culinary industry stems from prior leadership experience with California Pizza Kitchen, Aramark Higher Education, and Pret A Mange, and his passion for development and training in the field has strengthened the impact of culinary excellence throughout the entire organization. Juan’s experience as a chef has inspired elevated recipes and responsible ingredient choices, with his commitment to sustainability and animal welfare leading the Quest procurement and sourcing process.

Shelly Robinson, VP of Procurement

Shelly Robinson serves as the Vice President of Procurement, bringing a diverse K-12 background in education and district food service operations. Prior to joining Quest, her focus was on managing $100M plus vendor contracts, with extensive experience in food purchasing and procurement.

Shelly has a vast background in Child Nutrition Programs and is an active member of the American Commodity Distribution Association, serving as the Co-Chair of the Education Committee. A lifelong Texan, Shelly holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Texas Tech University.

Rebecca Cohen, MPH, RDN, LDN, Associate VP of NSLP

Rebecca Cohen, MPH, RDN, LDN currently holds the position of Associate Vice President for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and is a Registered Dietitian. With 25 years of experience, she previously worked at NorthShore University Healthcare with Aramark and in Senior Living with Unidine.

Her academic background includes a Bachelor's in Science of Dietetics from the University of Illinois in Champaign and a Master's in Public Health from Benedictine University.

Christina Malham, Associate VP of Marketing

Christina Malham serves as the Associate Vice President of Marketing, bringing 20 years of experience working for food service management companies and global CPG and Fast Casual brands like KIND Snacks and Noodles & Company.

In her previous roles, Christina covered territories across the Midwest region, with a focus on brand building, community outreach, and digital marketing. Christina graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from Michigan State University.

Patrick Carnathan, Director of Information Technology

Patrick Carnathan serves as the Director of Information Technology. He brings over 30 years of IT experience from the help desk to leading large organizations in their digital transformation, and has a proven track record of leading through all phases of technology evolution. His most recent position was with Carthage Veterinary Services and Professional Swine Management.

Patrick received his BA in Organizational Change and a Master's in Business Administration from Concordia University Chicago. He served six years in the United States Navy in the submarine service.