This Mobile chef has found the secret sauce for teaching high school chemistry. 

Words by Rebecca Deurlein

You would think that Jonathan Kastner’s greatest accomplishment would be owning and cheffing at the famous Anchor Bar & Grill in Orange Beach, Alabama. Or maybe it would be partnering with chef Tyler Braun to open a successful sauce and spice company, Southern Chili Lab, in 2021.

But it’s not.

If you ask Kastner what fulfills him the most, he’ll tell you that it’s teaching students who might never have had a passion for chemistry if not for his Chemistry of Food class at Gulf Shores High School. So, how does a chef and entrepreneur end up co-teaching a high school course—and loving it?

“It all started with culinary demonstrations in the after-school program,” says Kastner, whose specialty is wild fermentation. “The Academies and Career Tech Director at Gulf Shores City Schools, Jessica Sampley, conceived of the idea of a course that would teach kids chemistry through hands-on learning in a medium they understood—food.”

Kastner got started with the Summer WAVE program, funded through grants for students who want to study subjects such as marine biology, health, and chemistry. Field trips gave the students an opportunity to learn about food production, from small start-ups all the way up to global corporations. “We went to Big Jerk Soda Co. in Pensacola to see how a local company operates, then traveled to Atlanta to visit World of Coca-Cola to see that process on a massive scale. I brought the students to Southern Chili Lab to learn how we hand-ferment our vegetables for sauces and spices, then we visited Tabasco, where the kids got to meet with chemists and explore their massive lab. Seeing these operations side by side helped the students envision how to get started and what the end goal could be.”

The summer program was such a success that it inspired Kastner to partner with AP Chemistry teacher Jason Hill to create a full year’s worth of content for their new Chemistry of Food class, which debuted in the 2023–2024 school year.

Almost 20 students, some with an advanced passion in chemistry and some who never liked chemistry until this class, made for an eclectic group. That excites Kastner, who loves to see the students learning from each other. “It makes chemistry relatable for kids who normally wouldn’t be as interested,” he says. “Suddenly, this concept that had eluded them makes sense and they can actually use it in the real world.“

And that, as they say, is the secret sauce. To make their own hot sauce, students scoured options for ingredients. They chose red jalapeños, habaneros, peaches, Hungarian bell pepper, onions, garlic, and carrots, then apportioned everything, determined the salt content, fermented the vegetables for 40 days, processed the product, and bottled it. The process took about two months and produced 165 bottles that have been distributed within the high school cafeteria and to parents and teachers. 

It's a source of pride for Kastner and one of many concoctions that serve as chemistry lessons, including emulsions and stabilizers to make sauces, and a study of cookies, flans, and custards. But he says there’s an even bigger favorite among the students: “Liquid nitrogen ice cream. They can’t stop talking about it.”

Kastner has received nothing but positive feedback from his class, “and that’s from kids who say they wouldn’t have enjoyed chemistry otherwise, and from parents who say they wish this had been an option for them, as it would have made chemistry so much more enjoyable,” he says.

They’re not alone in appreciating this class. Kastner says it’s the most rewarding experience he’s had in his career. “I’ve cooked in a professional setting my whole life, and it never inspired me like this does. Being able to see the light bulb switch on, create core content for kids to take with them, guide them through the basics of cooking and the understanding of how ingredients interact—I love it so much. I never thought teaching would be my thing, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Don’t worry—Kastner remains passionate about Southern Chili Lab, and his products, including his bestselling chili crisp, can be ordered online at southernchililab.com.