At the Des Moines Area Community College’s (DMACC) Iowa Culinary Institute, students are used to rolling up their sleeves and working in the college’s training kitchen. But the typical hands-on learning atmosphere was taken up a notch yesterday as a student culinary team was tasked with preparing the meal for the annual Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon, hosted by Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education.
Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and nearly 70 other guests were delighted with a three-course meal during the awards ceremony luncheon at the Ankeny campus. Along with their instructor, Chef Minsuk “Jake” Kim, a nine-person student culinary team, consisting of second-year students, put together a gourmet, plated meal featuring beef tenderloin steak to honor this year’s top educators. Additionally, a group of first-year students in the culinary arts program gained valuable front-of-the-house experience working as servers during the event.
“This is a great opportunity for real-world experience,” said Chef John Andres, director of the Iowa Culinary Institute. “They are able to learn, with supports in place, and serve food to real-world customers. This is an important part of the learning process.”
DMACC’s Iowa Culinary Institute provides students with opportunities to earn diplomas or two-year associate of applied science degrees. The program is a mix of classroom study and lab time using industry-standard equipment. Students learn technical cooking skills like knife cuts, heat control and working with fresh ingredients as well as costing, purchasing supplies and hospitality concepts.
“We’re creating muscle memory, in and out of the kitchen,” Kim said. “It’s all about teaching the fundamental side of cooking and developing critical thinking skills.”
Through the Iowa Culinary Institute, students have the chance to hone their skills in real time, providing food service for the campus’s Bistro and at gourmet meal opportunities and special events for the college.
“It’s fun to see students get started and explore all of the different aspects of service and fine dining,” Andres said. “These opportunities give them insight and hands-on experience.”
Developing important professional skills such as leadership, communication, relationship-building and time management are also a strong part of the program. These skills are a benefit not only for pursuing the hospitality field but any career path the students may enter into in the future.
“I definitely stress time management as a skill for students to build,” said Kim. “We have so many tasks we have to accomplish in class, which is similar to working in any restaurant out there.”
Students Tyler Krahn, 20, and Ashley Rivera, 23, have learned many new skills in their two years at the institute. Krahn noted that he has enjoyed learning how to work with proteins like meat and fish while Rivera expressed her aptitude for all things sweet such as desserts and pastries.
“I like the flavors and components that you can come up with working with proteins,” Krahn said. “Prepping, cooking or grilling meat for the governor’s lunch would be fun.”
Krahn and Rivera both became interested in the culinary field through their families. Rivera has a mixed heritage background and grew up trying a lot of international cuisine and foods native to Puerto Rico. Krahn, too, also remembers baking bread and cookies with his grandmother as a child and how that spurred his interest in the culinary arts.
“I took cooking classes in high school and went on a field trip to Chicago with the Iowa Culinary Institute,” he said. “I already work in the restaurant industry now and am looking to do more once I graduate with my degree.”
Both were excited about being a part of the culinary team that prepared the award luncheon meal.
“With the governor attending, it’s both nerve wracking and cool,” Rivera said. “It’s an opportunity to put all of our skills in place and do something we haven’t done before.”
This year, the Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon honored the 2023 Teacher of the Year Krystal Colbert from Southeast Polk Community School District as well as the five other finalists. The recipients of the 2022 Iowa History Teacher of the Year and the Iowa Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were also highlighted.
“It’s an honor to be hosting Gov. Reynolds and the teachers of the year,” Andres said. “It’s just another really cool way that we at DMACC are providing real-world opportunities and experiences for our students.”
