Amanda Janasik’s love for the foodservice industry started when she was 16 and worked as a waitress in high school. After graduating from Penn State with a degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management, Janasik planned on working her way up in the restaurant industry.

Cody Allen has always wanted a balance between family and work, which can be challenging when working on the operations side of the foodservice industry. Allen has worked in the restaurant industry since the day before he turned 16, when he was hired on the spot at Shoney’s during his birthday lunch. He worked his way through college at the University of Southern Mississippi, waiting tables and tending bar. After earning a degree in biology and working in a different industry, Allen returned to the foodservice industry.

In the foodservice industry, there is something to be said for loyalty. Although Timothy Watson has been an industry sales rep for nearly three decades, he has spent his extensive career working at just two companies.

Foodservice has been a career for Emily McClelland since she waitressed for a catering company and baked for a pie supplier at the age of 16. While attending Purdue University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, McClelland served as an intern at C&T Design and Equipment Co. after a recommendation from friend Larry Simonel.

As a 14-year-old dishwasher, John “Johnny O” Ognibene never thought he’d be helping to create restaurants for some of the most well-known chefs in the industry, such as Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Charlie Palmer, Thomas Keller and David Chang. His current role is the culmination of an extensive foodservice career that included stints as a cook, waiter, bartender, restaurant manager and culinary school student.