Chemical Kitchen was founded in 2019 as an original, transdisciplinary practical course that introduced Chemistry students to the mindset and fundamental skills needed in a laboratory setting through a non-threatening parallel of cooking. It aimed to teach practical laboratory skills, planning, creativity, safe working, precision, dexterity, making and recording observations, and the application of knowledge. It was created as a collaboration between Professor Roger Kneebone (Imperial), Professor Alan Spivey (Imperial) and chef Jozef Youssef (Kitchen Theory) as a part of the Imperial College London Pedagogy Transformation Project.

Over the past 5 years, Chemical Kitchen has pioneered a transdisciplinary approach to undergraduate teaching and engaged with more than 1000 students from Chemistry and Medicine, and beyond - see our courses and activities.

The advantages of a transdisciplinary approach

Gastronomy is an amalgam of procedural rigour (ensuring consistency and reproducibility with tight deadlines), creativity and art. It is widely recognised that skilled chefs require high levels of organization, craftsmanship, dexterity, co-ordination, and the ability to respond to improvise. The clear overlap in the attributes of chefs and those of professional scientists is the basis of Chemical Kitchen using culinary practice as a parallel to the working environment of professionals of science and medicine. Food is a universal language and gastronomy-based learning activities allow students to identify, practise, and refine essential skills, developing confidence as they gain the transferrable skills which will be used both at university and in the workplace. Such activities empower tutors to communicate complex ideas in a simplified (but not simplistic) and assessable manner, and allow the students to benefit from the changed perspective, reduced cognitive load, and induced self-reflection to reflect and learn lessons about practical work in their field and focus on the often-omitted non-disciplinary aspects of their practice. If you are interested in this concept, you can take a look at our publications and media articles about our project.