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Steak and a World-Class Chef Education in Nebraska

By Sonja Albrecht

There’s more to Nebraska’s culinary scene than Omaha steak: the heartland offers regional specialties with unexpected cosmopolitan flair. Cooking school students have access to farm-fresh produce and corn-fed beef. Add to this a good dose of German pioneer heritage, and you have the perfect setting for your chef education.

Nebraska cooking school comes with a home-grown chef education in the infinite ways to prepare beef—100% Angus beef, that is, the best in the country. Nebraska is the nation’s top cattle ranching state, and beef is an annual $5.9 billion industry.

While in cooking school, you may also pick up the local taste for simple, hearty meals. The Cornhusker State maintains a proud agrarian tradition; 96% of the land is private farm and ranch land. Nebraska is the leading producer of Great Northern beans, and provides much of the nation’s winter wheat, corn (including popcorn), and soybeans.

German farm cooking is a staple of the Nebraskan culinary scene, but you’ll find plenty of innovation to stoke your cooking school experience. Top Omaha chef Glenn Wheeler offers “comfort food with a contemporary twist” at Liberty Tavern; one of his signature specialties is Kobe Beef, a special oat and beer-fed beef prepared with sake. Czech cuisine has also left its mark on Nebraska’s cooking—Nebraska has the largest Czech population in the U.S.; expect to encounter such dishes as jaternice (sausages) and kuba (barley casserole) before your chef education is finished.

A Nebraskan chef education offers the best of old world farming tradition with a sophisticated fusion of new ethnic dishes. And, of course, you’ll get to work with the real star of Nebraska’s culinary scene: the most tender beef you’ve ever tasted.