Facilitators:  Ms. Oberlin and Ms. Schrock

On Wednesday, October 5th, New Tech students in our combined chemistry and agriculture classes (AgriChem and Agri ICP) had the opportunity to tour the DeBrand Fine Chocolates factory. The trip came on the heels of a culinary science fair which showcased students’ understanding of chemistry principles and the use of those principles in food science.file_002

In preparation for the culinary science fair, the classes studied chemistry principles that are typically found in food. They also examined food on a commercial level, specifically researching factories, packaging materials, and marketing. For the final project, students were given a chemistry principle and asked to demonstrate that principle using food. After a lot of hard work, the students presented their principles and food samples to teachers and administrators at the culinary science fair.

The trip to DeBrand’s allowed students to see the subjects they had been studying in action. They were able to observe several chemical and commercial elements of chocolate production and, of course, taste a wide variety of delicious samples.