While food is an enticing ingredient for students taking Food Chemistry, the science behind its preparation is really the main course served in Science teacher Maggie Nunez-Fernandez’s class. 

Whenever Maggie offers her Food Chemistry elective, the experiments move from the laboratory to the kitchen, and she enlists the help of outside speakers and resources.

This spring, Maggie invited Kate Truini, a member of Westover’s Class of 2009 and a former faculty member, to share her expertise and experience as a cheesemonger with students in the Food Chemistry course. 

Having earned an MS in Food Studies from the American University of Rome and drawing on her work in food-related businesses over the past several years, Kate recently opened New Curds on the Block in Woodbury. 

Kate took part in two virtual presentations to students in Maggie’s Food Chemistry class this spring to help them prepare for two of their own food-making projects for the class. The first assignment for the students was to make their own cheese; the second was to prepare their own variation of dumplings — using recipes for variations ranging from Italian pasta to Asian dumplings.

On March 31, Kate spoke online to the class about the chemical processes behind the making of cheese in all its variations. Then, on April 14, Kate was joined by Zachary Redin, a professional chef, and gave a live video demonstration on the making of fresh Italian tortellini. Their demonstration was broadcast from the kitchen on the ground floor of the Louise B. Dillingham Performing Arts Center.   

As Maggie noted in its course description, “Cooking itself involves an assortment of chemical reactions in which your starting ingredients are transformed (usually!) into a desirable product. In this course, we will analyze a variety of chemical aspects involved with everyday food, tying in styles from around the world, and exploring the effects of those differences. These include the chemicals found in certain foods and chemical reactions food undergoes in a variety of cooking techniques.” To underline the seriousness of the science at work, there is a prerequisite for any student taking the course is at least one year of either Biology or Chemistry.

In Kate’s cheesemaking presentation, she talked about the chemical reactions at work behind the transformation of milk into cheese and the various processes that can occur as cheeses age that result in dozens of varieties.

“Cheese is a living food,” Kate told the students, noting that bacteria, yeasts, and mold are added to milk to transform it. “A cheese case in a store is like a garden,” she added. “It is flourishing” with living organisms. 

The various qualities that cheese can have — whether it is hard or soft in texture and its range of flavors, smells, and colors — are all products of the chemical reactions at work in the cheesemaking process. All are based on a variety of factors — how the milk is heated and agitated, what kinds of outside agents (such as bacteria and mold) are introduced, and the duration and conditions under which the cheese is stored.

In her presentation, Kate described how a wide-ranging combination of all these factors have been developed over centuries to produce the wide range of cheeses that are made around the world. 

“All these chemical reactions … create these awesome, diverse flavors that cheese can have,” she explained. 

As an example, Kate noted that salt can be added to arrest fermentation in the cheese, which affects its texture and flavor. She also pointed out that the amount of lactose present in cheese is reduced as it ages, so that some individuals who are sensitive to lactose may tolerate certain kinds of cheese, such as parmesan, that are aged longer, even though they may be extremely sensitive to fresher cheese varieties because they have a higher lactose content.

During their tortellini-making demonstration, Kate and Zach discussed how the simple ingredients used in the dough — flour, water, egg — combined with the way the dough is kneaded are all factors in the chemical processes at work. As part of the demonstration, Kate and Zach offered a variety of tips and suggestions on how to shape the tortellini into their dumpling-like shapes filled with cheese.

In addition to Kate and Zach, another guest speaker in Maggie’s Food Chemistry class on April 2 was Lorraine Duvall, the mother of Andreanna Duvall ’24. 

Lorraine, who has an AS degree in Culinary Arts from the New England Culinary Institute, spoke to the class about the different cuts of meat that are taken from beef, pigs, and chickens. 

In her presentation, Lorraine explained how the quality of the cuts of meat reflect the kinds of muscles they are from — muscles that are more active have higher levels of collagen, which make the meat tougher, while those with a higher fat content are more tender. That, Lorraine added, is why certain cuts of meat are cooked slowly for longer periods — in essence, a chemical process that breaks down the meat fibers, making them more tender. 

Lorraine also discussed the use of seitan as a meat substitute. Seitan is made from whole wheat flour after the starch is washed away, leaving a high-protein gluten. Like tofu, seitan takes on the flavor of seasonings and spices that can be used to prepare meatless substitutes for meat in various dishes.

In addition, Lorraine explained the chemical processes at work when marinades made of salt, sugar, and flavorings are used to prepare meat, all of this in preparation for the dumpling fillings that students would be working on. 

Thanks to the guidance of our guest lecturers, Maggie noted, “From a range of cheeses to a range of dumplings — which has included Italy’s tortellini and ravioli, China’s baozi, India’s samosas and Japan’s mochi — the class has gone on a global journey.”

Reflecting on the course, Maggie said, “Although this year has had challenges, Food Chemistry has been an elective that both virtual and in-person students can take, as everyone has access to a kitchen — and eats!”

“I love the opportunity to teach this elective,” Maggie added, “and to be able to show students how relatable and exciting Chemistry is via food composition and reactions. Even more exciting is watching them develop curiosity and build up their confidence in their ability to apply a scientific lens to the world around them, be it through observations, sensory analysis, or changing variables, and to see how those factors affect a final product.”

“They also learn from our guest speakers about a range of careers that one can have,” Maggie said, “whether as a food chemist, a sensory scientist, a critic, a chef, or a cheesemonger, plus that these roles are truly universal.”