The Saint Louis Science Center’s Sci-FEAST event, part of the SciFest series of STEM expos, returned for a second course of food science on Saturday, November 15. The free, all-day event—made possible by Presenting Sponsor BJC HealthCare and Supporting Sponsors Nestlé Purina PetCare and St. Luke’s—brought together more than 170 STEM experts and professionals, welcoming nearly 2,500 people to immerse themselves in the science of food and nutrition. Hands-on activities in multiple areas of the Science Center touched on the ways food and nutrients play a role across plants, animals, and humans. From the hidden complexities of plant life and how chemistry plays a role in processes like fermentation to the physics of building a cheeseburger and much more, Sci-FEAST had just about every flavor of food science on the menu. Attendees explored food and drink flavor science with Beck Flavors, discovered the wide-ranging product applications of salts with Jost Chemical, and experienced the taste-altering properties of Miracle Fruit with HOSCO North Sarah Food Hub. Bayer Crop Science provided hands-on plant science activities and also delighted visitors with a live beehive display, live bumblebee colony, and honey samples, connecting the dots between pollinators and our food supply.
Sci-FEAST highlighted the roles and dietary needs of animals, too. Nestlé Purina PetCare team members introduced families to healthy pet foods, with Dr. Jordan Wood presenting “Pet Nutrition Basics” on the Energy Stage, and in collaboration with Duo Dogs, a local nonprofit connecting people with service animals, let guests meet real service dogs.
Meanwhile, the Saint Louis Zoo shared insights into how the institution feeds 12,000 animals with vastly different nutritional requirements. Other STEM partners and vendors shared the feeding behaviors of aquatic invertebrates, looked at animal diet comparisons, and explored apes’ jungle diets and how they search for food. In the GROW Gallery, Prairie Farms Dairy brought the farm experience to life with two live dairy calves, giving attendees the chance to meet a dairy farmer and sample fresh dairy products like ice cream, ranch dip, and cottage cheese.
Of course, humans eat food, too, and Sci-FEAST helped show how STEM can be found anywhere from the kitchen to the dining room. Hi-Pointe Drive-In owner and founder Mike Johnson revealed “The Science Behind Building Better Burgers” on the Energy Stage, sharing how STEM applications create award-winning burgers. In addition, a tabletop activity invited guests to try and stack their own burger using STEM principles. Team members from first-time SciFest vendor Noodles & Co. spoke with guests about the surprising science behind pasta shapes. “Sci-FEAST was an absolute blast,” said one Noodles & Co. team member afterward. “Hearing that nearly 2,500 visitors came through—and seeing how engaged and excited everyone was—made the day incredibly rewarding. We’re already looking forward to next year and can’t wait to be involved again.” Presenting Sponsor BJC HealthCare and Supporting Sponsor St. Luke’s provided hands-on nutrition and health activities, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors revealed what astronauts eat in space, and Saint Louis University’s Center for Additive Manufacturing demonstrated 3D printing applications in food production and agriculture.
Local distilleries offered attendees the chance to learn more about the process of distillation and the chemistry of fermentation. Bare Wood Spirits showcased their patented in-bottle aging technology in an Energy Stage presentation by inventor Mike Reed and CEO Jonas Buxton, while Switchgrass Spirits, StilL 630 Distillery, and the St. Louis Bourbon Society explored the ways ingredients like yeast and grains play a role in the production of bourbon and other craft spirits.
Fresh from a recent win at an Iron Chef competition in California, one Sci-FEAST attendee struck up a conversation with a Science Center team member. She explained several of the food challenges she and the other competitors were assigned in the competition, and when the team member mentioned how, having won, she must already know about the food science on display, the attendee replied, “Oh no. I know how to cook, but I didn’t know about all this science!”
Thank you to Presenting Sponsor BJC HealthCare and Supporting Sponsors Nestlé Purina PetCare and St. Luke’s for making Sci-FEAST possible, as well as all who attended! Sci-FEAST is just one event in our year-round SciFest series of STEM expos. Mark your calendar for our 2026 events:
- February 28: Engineering Expo
- May 30: The Great Outdoors Expo
- August 8: Play and Creativity Expo
Learn more about SciFest here.
