Missouri's Culinary Rootsby Sonja Albrecht You might expect to encounter Southern hospitality and a strong rural tradition in Missouri—but you’ll also discover cosmopolitan sophistication. Missouri’s culinary colleges benefit from the best of both worlds, with access to local agriculture and a complex cultural heritage. If you attend chef school in Missouri, you’ll probably find yourself in one of the state’s bustling metropolises. Opportunities for chefs are strongest here; St. Louis, for example, expects a 19% increase in chef jobs through 2010. St. Louis offers a diverse culinary scene, showcased annually during the Taste of St. Louis Festival. The festival gives local chefs and culinary colleges a chance to shine, with innovative creations existing alongside traditional Missouri fare. You’ll come across regional specialties like gooey butter cake, pork steak, toasted ravioli, and fried brain sandwiches. Statewide, your chef school experience will be colored by Missouri’s ethnic and geographical diversity. Creole influence is strong in the South, and plantation culture lives on in hearty soul food: fried chicken, BBQ, hush puppies, and pies from scratch. Chef schools and culinary colleges teach innovative variations on these down home originals. On break from chef school, enjoy first-class blues and jazz in Branson and Kansas City. Or explore the state parks, rivers, and caves. Missouri still offers unspoiled, rural countryside, second only to Texas in the number of farms located here. The rolling hills of Missouri’s wine country offer a relaxing getaway. Missouri’s culinary colleges will bring out the sophisticated epicure in you, but the local color will ground you in the complex cultural heritage of the “gateway to the West.” Sources“Missouri,” Wikipedia About the AuthorSonja Albrecht works as a writer and editor for an online media company. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English.
Posted on August 21, 2006 at 11:17 AM
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