Inspirational individuals
Our traditional home at Burlington House, on Piccadilly in the heart of London, is currently playing host to a special event to mark our 175th anniversary this year – the ‘175 faces of chemistry’ exhibition, open to everyone until 4 March, weekdays 10am to 4pm.
The exhibition celebrates some truly inspirational individuals – our 175 faces of chemistry – role models and champions for an inclusive culture and diverse future generation of scientists; together representing diversity in the broadest sense.
One of our 175 faces is Heston Blumenthal, celebrity chef and Michelin-starred proprietor of the Fat Duck in Berkshire, who shared the story of how he became fascinated with science, despite some early challenges.
I’m proud to be one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 175 faces of chemistry
In an exclusive interview, Heston spoke with us about how he became the pioneering chef he is today. “The weird thing is, as a kid I never would have called myself inquisitive”, he explains.
That all changed in 1985 when Heston read Harold McGhee’s book On Food and Cooking – the Science and Lore of the Kitchen, about the science of everyday life. McGhee said that browning meat doesn’t seal-in liquid, which challenged a fundamental aspect of French cooking Heston thought he knew.
“When McGhee went on to explain why it wouldn’t seal in the juices, it was obvious! At this moment it was like an epiphany for me. I thought how many other things have I been learning in classical French cooking, that I just took as gospel, but aren’t true? Then I went the other way and questioned everything, and it was this approach that has helped shape my cooking.”
This pivotal moment for Heston led him to want to share a more inquisitive approach to cooking. “It was really important for me over the years to try and bring some accessibility through to everyday food,” he says.
“I started doing this with writing. So the first book was Family Food – getting the kids involved by giving them a greater understanding of where their food comes from, but also flavour experiments.”
Questioning everything helped to shape Heston’s current attitude to cooking and the kitchen. “For me this whole new world opened up and I wanted to pass this on. You don’t have to have a nuclear physics degree to feel justified or that you’ve got permission to ask the questions.”
This not only changed his cooking but also his awareness of science: “I learnt a lot about science and scientists – there is this perception out there that somehow scientists are men in lab coats with clipboards walking around in very sterile rooms with no emotion.
I left school with an A-level in art – I failed my O-level chemistry – I was scared of it, totally. But through cooking I found this whole world – a whole new solar system available to me
"So, do not be scared. Ask questions. Rather than thinking you need a degree in nuclear physics, just experiment. When things start to happen, you become inquisitive."
Heston’s nomination
Yuandi Li works for the Royal Society of Chemistry, and decided to put Heston’s name forward. He says: "I nominated Heston to be one of our 175 faces of chemistry because he champions the chemistry that we all do every day: cooking.
"Without any formal chemistry education beyond school, Heston rediscovered the subject through his love of food. He learnt chemistry through collaborations with chemists and dedicated self-education. In doing so, he has managed to reach the pinnacle of his profession and create a lasting revolution in cuisine that has also helped to improve public understanding of chemistry in our lives.
"Despite not following a traditional academic route, he has published two scientific journal papers, and his scientific achievements have been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the University of Bristol, the University of London and the University of Reading.
"He’s a real inspiration, especially for those who come to chemistry later in life."
175 faces of chemistry exhibition
Heston is just one of 175 inspirational individuals that we’ve profiled over the past three years. Our 175th anniversary exhibition showcases all 175 faces, giving visitors the opportunity to explore their stories, and showing the incredible diversity in the chemical sciences.
In addition to this exhibition, we're encouraging our members and supporters from all over the world to share their stories with us and give 175 minutes to chemistry in 2016. This might be spent in visiting our 175th anniversary exhibition, attending a chemistry conference, doing an outreach event, or even taking up a member benefit.
For more ideas and to find out more about our 175th anniversary, go to rsc.li/175. Or join the conversation on Twitter using #Time4Chem.