About The Intoxicating Professor

Heather McKechney

Heather has three major loves (fine…she has dozens, but these three matter most): science, the world of food and beverage, and entertaining. As a chemistry professor, she has spent almost two decades teaching students at every level—from Intro Food Chemistry to Organic Chemistry—helping them understand how the world works one molecule at a time.

She’s also a firm believer that every bite and every sip comes with a backstory. Heather weaves history into her talks the same way she weaves humor into them, connecting the dots between ancient winemaking traditions, scientific breakthroughs, cultural shifts, and the flavors in your glass today. From ancient fermentation tricks to Champagne’s rebellious past, she shows audiences how science and history collide to create the flavors we adore today. Her mission is simple: deliver lightbulb moments wrapped in laughter.

Heather is a graduate of Duke University with a master’s in organic chemistry from the University of Rochester, a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines holder (with distinction), and a Comité Champagne Certified Champagne Specialist (with distinction) . She has worked in pharma, owned a cake decorating business, and taught chemistry at Monroe Community College—experiences that somehow all make perfect sense when she’s explaining bubbles, barrels, and the centuries of innovation behind them.

Through The Intoxicating Professor, Heather brings science, history, storytelling, and humor together to help people fall in love with what’s in their glass.