Our Team
Meet On The Menu!
The seed of On The Menu started at a kitchen table over a cup of tea and homemade pastry. In the eight years since then, we’ve helped more than 200 clients across the U.S.
Rebekah Spetnagel, MSS, RD
A founding partner at Colorado-based On The Menu, Rebekah can often be found in grocery stores poring over food labels where she shops by ingredient statements. Her three kids and husband enjoy her skills as a short order cook and hardly notice they've been carefully trained to enjoy real food with the least amount of processing possible. Rebekah is addicted to spin class, weightlifting, cross-country skiing, yoga, and rowing. In this video, you’ll find her rowing seat seven in the eight boat. Sometimes she even sits down to read -- fiction and (surprise!) diet books. Her current book list includes The Paleo Diet, Eating Animals, and The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. No kidding.
Rebekah is a veteran registered dietitian with 22 years' experience. She's a member of the American, Colorado (where she serves as a Board Member) and Denver Dietetic Associations; the Celiac Sprue Association; and the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. She is certified in Restaurant Menu Labeling by the American Dietetic Association, and is ServSave certified by the National Restaurant Association. Rebekah admits to one nutritional vice: she loves soy chai.
Julie Bush, MBA
Also a founding partner, Julie is hands-on with nutrition as a dedicated cook and baker who uses local foods and starts from scratch. She grew up in the big outdoors in Montana, where her family grew much of their own food at their home in ranch country. Julie was a successful food entrepreneur at a young age – her home-grown raspberries sold out at the local farmer’s market before the market opened for the day. Her two kids try to keep up with her as she explores Colorado’s mountains year-round, climbing Fourteeners, skiing, camping and mountain biking. To take a break from all that altitude, Julie competes in marathons. Julie’s reading list includes all kinds of fiction, Food Rules and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
With more than seven years’ experience as a nutrition consultant and 19 years’ experience in writing, editing and marketing, Julie combines her knowledge, interest and love of food with the business of nutrition. She is a member of Slow Food International, which is a perfect counterpoint to the constant motion she is otherwise engaged in. Her food vice? Blueberries and heavy cream. But don’t worry – that last marathon burned it all up at around mile 18.
Ty Marden
With a BA in Business Management from Texas A&M University, Ty is now working on his Nutrition degree at Metro State University with a goal to become a Registered Dietitian. He has a good start with eight years of experience as a chef at the Headliner’s Club in Austin, TX, Eddie Matney’s in Scottsdale, AZ, and Wild Oats teaching classes. Currently, Ty is a chef at the EDGE Restaurant at Denver’s Four Seasons Hotel. Ty is a part-time employee with On The Menu, and focuses on the Colorado Smart Meal program, menu analysis for restaurants, and our new TAG software launch.
When he’s not cooking, in a classroom or here at On The Menu, in true Colorado style Ty likes to ski, kayak and hike. If there’s any other free time left, Ty tries out new restaurants, cooks at home and enjoys reading, especially cookbooks, history and fiction. Ty is a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Colorado Dietetic Association and the American Culinary Association. His membership in every one of these groups would be instantly revoked if he told them what his food vice is—chicken-fried steak.
