ST. LOUIS – Protein manufacturer and culinary innovation company, Deli Star Corp., and Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Doisy College of Health Sciences have announced a strategic partnership highlighted by a mutual commitment to human nourishment through food nutrition, open innovation and education. The partnership begins July 1, 2021. Initial talks between Deli Star and SLU began nearly two years ago. 

The partnership will focus on Deli Star’s new hub for research and culinary innovation, the Food Discovery Center (FDC), located at City Foundry STL. The partnership will provide access to the FDC for labs, coursework and mentoring to SLU students and faculty in the Dept. of Nutrition and Dietetics. Students will learn in a collaborative, open-innovation atmosphere and gain hands-on experience with the product-development process, commercialization and food nutrition.      

“The research, problem-solving and innovation conducted in the Food Discovery Center will provide opportunities to discover new and better ways of innovating food products that promote healing through human nutrition,” said Justin Siegel, chief executive officer, Deli Star. “This intersection of research and development and higher education through the Deli Star-SLU partnership at FDC will serve to inspire students and nurture the talent pipeline in our industry for many years to come.”

Executives, chefs and food scientists from Deli Star will lead learning sessions for SLU students focused on the company’s fields of expertise: food microbiology, food engineering and processing, food chemistry and biochemistry, nutrition and sensory analysis.

“We are fortunate to have partnerships with exceptional clinical sites offering diverse hands-on learning experiences for students,” said Tricia Austin, PhD, PT, ATC, interim dean of Doisy College of Health Sciences at SLU. “The opportunity to partner with individuals and industry experts at Deli Star and the Food Discovery Center in St. Louis is a welcomed and exciting opportunity. We are grateful for the support to continue to advance innovative learning experiences for our students.”

In addition to learning from Deli Star senior leadership, SLU students will have access to Cure8 Ventures Advisors, also housed at the FDC. These industry veterans draw upon a depth of expertise in a variety of areas, including food venture, culinary support, research and development, sales and marketing, restaurant operations, supply chain and finance, manufacturing, and food safety and quality.