PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
was an interesting time and tough to see, but everyone got
through it.”
A tenured associate professor of hospitality, Bordi has
worked as a researcher, a consultant for new product development
Port St. Lucie Magazine 43
and a food scientist.
Over the years, Bordi has attempted to live up to the
principles his father taught him. He helped to open and run
the Center for Food Innovation at Penn State for 12 years.
The center is a cooperative research center that helps build
relationships between the food industry and academia. One
of the center’s main focuses is to help Pennsylvania food
companies succeed.
In the mid-90s, Bordi was instrumental in developing a
Pennsylvania school lunch program with healthier ingredients.
FORT
He was awarded a USDA Farm to School grant to
develop meals lower in fat for students.
While doing product development work for start-up businesses,
Bordi says 90 percent of new products fail because
developers don’t ask the consumer what they want and need.
“The cost of failure is much higher than the cost of hiring
a consultant to run panels and tests,” Bordi said. “It’s important
to know what the consumer likes in order to sell a
product.”
Bordi’s parents closed the restaurant in the early 1980s and
retired with friends to Port St. Lucie. Since his parents’ passings,
Bordi and his wife have lived part time in Florida as he
approaches retirement at Penn State.
Every morning, Bordi wakes up at 4 a.m. and walks for
three hours. He said this time allows him to think and keep
his heart healthy. He tries to walk around 75 miles each week
and thinks up some of his best ideas while walking.
“My main focus in recent year has been to develop products
with athletes in mind,” he said. “Lately, a lot of my work
has been poured into Dr. Pete’s Recovery Drink.”
Bordi has been working on the protein drink for more than
12 years with former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco
Harris. The pair, who have known one another for more than
20 years, are working with the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey
team, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the athletic departments at
Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Shippensburg
University.
The product is to be taken after a workout so that the body
can recover from the
depletion of nutrients
and energy your body
experiences from
exercise. The goal
has been to minimize
soreness and injuries
among athletes while
accelerating muscle
recovery.
“Since starting that
project, I have moved
on to create a new
plant-based cancer recovery
drink,” Bordi
said. “As someone
who has lived with
cancer, I know how
important it is to
have something that
will help to heal the
throat and tongue
and fight off cancer
from returning after
chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.”
Bordi has created a drink free of sugar, dairy, whey and
protein as these ingredients can upset a cancer patient’s
digestive system. The completely organic product contains 18
ingredients and three plant-based proteins.
“In the back of my head, I am always thinking ‘What did
you do to help somebody?’” Bordi said. “That’s what I have
lived by and continue to live by.” E
PETER BORDI JR.
Age: 66
Lives In: Port St. Lucie and
Lemont, Pennsylvania
Education: Bachelor’s degree,
Pennsylvania State University;
associate degree, Culinary
Institute of America; both master’s
and doctorate, Penn State
Family: Wife, Vicki; daughter, Devon, 32;
and son, Peter III, 36
Hobbies: Walking, reading
Who Inspires You: “My dad. Working in his restaurant, I
learned a lot about creating goals for myself and he taught
me many great life lessons.”
Something most people don’t know about you: “I had a
10 p.m. curfew as a teenager and in high school I got into
running, so I would run home to make it in at 10 p.m. or else
dad would lock the front door.”
PIERCE
Pete Bordi has worked with former Pittsburgh Steeler, Franco Harris, for
nearly two decades. The pair are now in the midst of launching Dr. Pete’s
Recovery Drink to the public.
Pete Bordi and his business partner, Franco
Harris, are working on a recovery drink
specially formulated to help those who are
in treatment and battling cancer.