Thank you for your inquiry. We do have a Culinary Arts Program and you can learn more about the classes in it here. Our Culinary students do learn about a variety of types of meat, poultry, and seafood, and throughout the program students will have opportunities to properly receive, store, handle, and prepare these items. We also offer various special opportunities for students to experience these topics in further depth, including a day-long trip to the USDA Meat Labs at Iowa State University, where our students learn about all things beef and observe the full butchery and breakdown of a side of beef. We also welcomed Chef Rob Levitt, acclaimed chef and butcher from Chicago, to the Iowa Culinary Institute this past year for a two-day seminar in pork including classes in charcuterie and full butchery and breakdown of the hog.
Our students pursue a wide variety of job opportunities upon graduating from our program, and we do have several current students as well as alumni who work as butchers and own and operate meat lockers here in central Iowa.
Our Culinary Arts program prepares students to enter culinary positions within hotels, restaurants, clubs or institutions with some select jobs in dining room service, catering, or management. By the end of the program, graduates will have taken courses in food preparation, nutrition, menu planning, purchasing, garde manger and baking. International cuisine, restaurant management and advanced culinary cuisine are practicum courses and a valuable part of the training. These courses are management designed and offer students practical knowledge of the restaurant industry.
If you have additional questions regarding the Culinary Arts program or becoming a butcher, please contact Whitney Riggs, Academic Advisor, at 515-965-7149 or by email at wlriggs@dmacc.edu. She will be able to provide the necessary support and assistance with your academic planning.