Badia Spices
Badia Brings Extra Spice to New Food Production Laboratory
“The soul of cooking” brand recently infused the advanced food production laboratory at FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management with some extra spice, and a new name. Thanks to a $500,000 gift from Joseph “Pepe” Badia, the 2,200-square-foot space that offers state-of-theart instructional technology will now be known as the Badia Spices Food Production Laboratory.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to continue to build a legacy for my company and my family. This contribution will ensure that students with aspirations in the hospitality industry have the support they need to succeed. Above all, I am absolutely thrilled that this contribution will allow students and faculty to expand their research and development capabilities,” said Badia, president of Badia Spices, Inc.
Badia has been a major investor and overall supporter of FIU and its students for several years. Additionally, the well-known brand hosted a spice competition that invited students of the Chaplin School to prepare an original spice blend using less than eight ingredients. The winner received a $5,000 scholarship, and, of course, enviable bragging rights. The winning spice blend, along with the name of the newly created concoction, was also unveiled at the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE.
However, Badia’s generosity didn’t just stop there. He felt that the other students in the spice competition had worked just as hard on their creations, and gifted each student with a $2,000 scholarship for their participation and dedication to the field.
Back in the lab, students receive hands-on learning in food production and innovation with access to a specialized area where they can develop, test and taste new product ideas and solutions for the industry.
“We are grateful to Pepe Badia for his continuous support of our students. This endowment will provide the impetus for the Chaplin School to realize its vision for the food and beverage science initiative,” said Mike Hampton, dean of the Chaplin School. “More importantly, we are honored to continue our partnership with Mr. Badia, an ever-inspiring community leader.”
Help FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management become even better as FIU heads into its next 50 years forward. Learn more by visiting https://hospitality.fiu.edu/. Or, give today at https://give.fiu.edu/give-now/chaplin-school-of-hospitality-and-tourism-management/.