Have you thought about how you will help to make a better, healthier world?
Students within the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies will be exposed to a wide variety of career opportunities. Our course offerings traverse the entire foodscape: Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science, and Food Systems. Students learn where our food comes from, how it is produced and distributed, how our bodies process and digest food, clinical and community nutrition applications, food safety, innovative food product development, sustainability, health and so much more. In addition, our programs educate and prepare students as citizens and practitioners with a deep understanding of social justice and food equity issues, both local and global. Our academic programs, both graduate and undergraduate, emphasize applied experience, and, in addition to a solid foundation of classroom and lab study, offer students numerous opportunities for hands-on fieldwork and internships. Graduates are prepared for a variety of careers within the vast sphere of food. When considered in its totality food and its attendant industries (agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, research and development, clinical and community nutrition, and dietetics healthcare) is the largest contributor of gross domestic product worldwide and the largest provider of jobs and careers. We look forward to serving you!
For Undergraduate Internship Information: Students and employers, contact Career Services Director, Linda Flynn: flynnl@montclair.edu
For Dietetic Internship Information: Contact Dietetic Internship Directors, Jane Pilanski: pilanskij@montclair.edu
Hours of Operation
Between September and May, all academic departments in the College of Education and Human Services will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
During the summer months, from June through August, the University is closed on Fridays. College departments and offices are open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Student Spotlight
Students Elham Yphantides, Johnny Ramirez, and Kristyna Zappasodi created a vlog highlighting their recipe for Wanderlust Grilled Chicken.
This recipe is a fusion of Moroccan and Chinese cuisine. The two are bridged together by the shared use of sweet and sour flavors. The grilled chicken is marinated with pomegranate, lime and honey. The tricolored couscous and vegetables are is seasoned with familiar Moroccan spices of cumin, coriander cinnamon. A slight sweet touch is added from the presence of dried apricot. Lotus root is also flavored with the same marinade used for the chicken. However, when sautéed a firm caramel crust develops adding the perfect addition of crunch and texture.
Department Advisory Board
Stacey Antine, MS, RD, Founder, HealthBarn USA, author Appetite for Life, HarperOne, and Director, HealthBarn Foundation. Stacey works 24/7 with a team of trained educators on innovative teaching techniques in the field of nutrition education. Her proprietary curricula teaches families about how-to live a healthy lifestyle through cooking, organic gardening and learning why natural foods are best for their bodies.
Mark Maloney, President, Eurest Eastern Division, Compass USA — Eurest is in the contract food service business including such clients as Johnson & Johnson, QVC, CVS, MetLife, Roche, Zoetis etc. His scope of responsibility is from Maine thru Puerto Rico and Johnson & Johnson nationally representing approx. half a billion dollars in revenue and Eurest itself in the US is over $2B.
Andy Reichgut is a seasoned executive with 24 years of experience in CPG Brand Management, most recently focused on food solutions that are good for people and the planet. He is currently leading the Vegan Cheese business acquired by Upfield in 2020, with the goal to build their flagship brand, Violife, into the leader in vegan cheese. Before joining Upfield, Andy served as EVP for New Classic Cooking LLC, owner of the fast-growing Veggies Made Great brand. He joined in 2014, and led the introduction of Veggies Made Great, an emerging natural brand focused on offering delicious veggie-rich foods.
Prior to taking on this entrepreneurial venture, Andy worked at large CPG companies including Pinnacle Foods, M&M Mars and Reckitt Benckiser.
Dr. Sungeun Choi is an associate professor and advisor in Nutrition & Dietetics Program at the Department of Family, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Queens College, the City University of New York, Flushing, NY. She is a food scientist with expertise in food sensory science and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in the United States. She received a B.S. in Food and Nutritional Sciences (1991), a M.S. (1993) and a Ph.D (1999) in Food Science from Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. She had worked as a visiting researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara (2003-2004) and a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2004-2008). She also holds a Korean dietitian license. Her research area is Food Sensory Science with Nutritional Science and main research interests are taste perception, taste preference and cultural food practices.
Dr. Sara Elnakib is an Educator/Assistant Professor of the Department of Family & Community Health Sciences at Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Research Associate for the New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative (NJHKI). Her research focuses on the use of policy, systems, and environmental approaches to promote child health equity and environmental stewardship, primarily in school and community settings. Sara has received research funding from the EPA and Horizon Foundation to research the intersection of nutrition literacy, environmental education, and healthy eating. Her dissertation focused on food waste in the school setting and how behavioral economics can be leveraged to reduce food waste. She completed her doctoral degree in Social and Behavioral Health Science at Rutgers School of Public Health. Sara is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), has a Master’s of Public Health degree in Health Education and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and completed her undergraduate degree in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University.
Marc Meyers, R&D, Innovation and Technology Consultant – Meyers Consulting, LLC. He also provides technical consulting with BeyondBrands as a Collective Member helping start-up and established companies with developing wellness applications in the Functional Food and Beverage space.
He has experience working in New Technology and Ingredient Research for large, multi-national food, functional food, and dietary supplement companies. He has also worked for ingredient suppliers focused on microencapsulation delivery technologies for food ingredients, flavors, and other bioactives. He also has an extensive background in Hydrocolloid Technology.
Marc recently served as Senior Director of Product Development at Mori to help drive commercial opportunities for their unique Silk Protein Technology. He has also worked for Wrigley’s, Mars and Mondelēz focused on New Technology and Ingredient Research roles for chewing gum and other confectionery applications. He has over 35 patents in confection innovation. His areas of expertise are in Microencapsulation Technology and Hydrocolloid Technology. He has also been successful in New Technology consulting with companies ranging from small start-ups to major global organizations.
Marc has a PhD in Food Science from Rutgers and a BS in Food Science from Penn State. He is a Certified Food Scientist as recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Marc has been an Adjunct Professor at Montclair, teaching introductory Food Science courses, and continues to support MSU as a member of this Advisory Board.
Emmanuel LaRouche, as VP of Marketing & Consumer Insights for Symrise, leads the Symrise Flavor Marketing initiatives in North America, both traditional and digital. In addition to leadership, my role includes so much more; I provide marketing vision, empower my team to try new approaches, facilitate learning through coaching and good feedback and build strong relationships with my team and customers alike. As the host of the ‘flavors unknown’, Emmanuel Laroche shares the true story, success, and failures of renowned culinary leaders and how their cultural identity shaped their creative process.
Craig Shelton has over 40 years of experience in science-based cooking and teaching in the hospitality business. He trained in eight of the world’s greatest restaurants, including “El Bulli”, “Jamin”; “Ma Maison”, “L’Auberge de l’Ill”, “Le Pré Catelan”, “Bouley”, “Le Bernardin”, and “La Côte Basque. Chef Shelton has earned countless awards as Chef-Owner of his own restaurants including a James Beard Best Chef medal, NY Times 4-Stars ratings on four separate occasions, a 5-Star Forbes rating, the Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef title; and Number One Top Restaurant in America in 2004 from GQ. Mr. Shelton is also an instructor at Princeton University in the Princeton Environmental Institute, where he teaches a freshman seminar on the interrelationships between public policy, agriculture, diet-related disease and anthropogenic climate change. Mr. Shelton began his expertise in this area while an undergraduate of Yale where he earned his degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. He is a co-founder of the think tank, Princeton Center for Food Studies, the founder of King’s Row Coffee, and a co-founder of Aeon Holistic Agriculture, Inc.
Beth Feehan is a regional sales representative for Zone 7, a local food distributor based in New Jersey that sources foods from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania farms and food producers. She was the former Farm to School Coordinator at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture from 2015 until 2019 and the former Executive Director of the New Jersey Farm to School Network, a non-profit that launched the effort to bring more local food into schools from 2008 to 2015. She is a co-founder of central New Jersey’s West Windsor Community Farmers Market and a participant in many state and national food access efforts in the Garden State and beyond. Beth and her husband reside in New York City.
Marc Oshima co-founded AeroFarms, the world leader for indoor vertical farming. Recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and by Time Magazine for Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms is a mission-driven company and Certified B-Corporation focused on growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. Dedicated to improving our food systems, Marc has been recognized by Produce News for their Vanguard Awards for the Top 35 Innovators Ever Who Have Shaped the Produce Industry and by Eating Well magazine as one of their American Food Heroes.
With his B.A. from Columbia College and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Marc is on the Boards for Produce Marketing Association, CEA Food Safety Coalition, and Chefs Collaborative, and is a member of the FDA Romaine Advisory Task Force, Food Systems Advisory Council for the Culinary Institute of America, United Fresh’s Marketing & Merchandising Council, and Columbia University Alumni Advisory Group.
Ilene Isaacs is the Executive Direct of Table to Table, which rescues healthy, nutritious food that would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to more than 250 organizations serving vulnerable populations throughout Northern NJ.
