FIU start UP Food is a program dedicated to working with new entrepreneurs and assisting them in developing their business and products, whether it is in retail, catering or restaurants. Starting in 2018, the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management school program reached out for potential students to work with these new entrepreneurs with food costing, product development and food safety testing. In my case, I had the opportunity to work directly with the food science professor on food safety, which relied on following FDA regulations. My main project was presenting a fig paste project at the undergraduate and graduate conference, which discussed the potential of using fig as a fat replacer. All the knowledge over time complied into a final presentation and some aspects of the knowledge gained over the course of time , was applied to future projects involving other clienteles food products. Applying the experience I have now to my future career in food innovation and food safety, is the stepping stone to guide others to see the benefits and opportunities in this field.
