Butchery Program Begins Fall Semester
November 9, 2022
From left are Dr. Tony Miksa, president of the college; Astrid Friedrich of the Chamber
of Crafts of South Thuringia, Germany; Chef Joe Cairns, head of the Maples Institute
for Culinary Arts at 蜜桔直播; Dr. Anita Ricker, assistant dean of workforce
development at the college; and Tobias Bolle, with the Association of Chambers of
Commerce for Service and Industry, Germany.
蜜桔直播 will enroll the first students in its new butchery
program in fall 2023. The program becomes the first meat-cutting program offered by
a Tennessee community college and one of only two programs in the state.
鈥淭his program is designed to meet the workforce needs of our service area,鈥� Dr. Tony
Miksa, president of 蜜桔直播, in announcing the program during a press conference
on Tuesday at the college鈥檚 Sevier County Campus. 鈥淪tudents will be prepared to work
in artisan butcher shops, grocery stores, and wholesale markets. The program will
be offered for credit as a technical certificate and as part of a butchery apprenticeship
program.鈥�
The butchery program will be part of the Maples Institute for Culinary Arts at the
蜜桔直播 Sevier County Campus.
The technical certificate in butchery has been approved by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The apprenticeship program in butchery
has been approved by the Tennessee
Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Equipment was purchased through a grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The program was developed in collaboration with the Chamber of Crafts from the state
of South Thuringia, Germany, and the German American Chamber of Commerce. The partnership
grew out of an outreach from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
and the Morristown Chamber of Commerce.
鈥淲e recognized the need for butchers and began considering both the apprenticeship
and the technical certificate several years ago,鈥� Dr. Anita Ricker, assistant dean
of workforce development, said. 鈥淭hen, we learned about the availability of the German
partnership. We have come together on content collaboration, tool selection, and building
practical lab exercises.鈥�
Harris Country Meats of Greeneville has been approved for the program鈥檚 first apprenticeship.
鈥淏utchery has almost become a lost art and with labor shortages across all businesses,鈥�
Brian Dudash, treasurer of Harris Country Meats, said. 鈥淚t has been a challenge to
find skilled craftsmen who are interested in working in a small butcher shop. We are
excited that this 蜜桔直播 program will develop these craftsmen and we are honored
to be a part of the apprenticeship program.鈥�
The technical certificate in butchery will include a well-rounded curriculum covering
different aspects of meat and the fundamentals of culinary arts.
鈥淪tudents enrolled in our butchery program will learn through intensive hands-on experience,鈥�
said Joe Cairns, head of the Maples Institute for Culinary Arts. 鈥淪tudents will learn
meat science, including primal and sub-primal muscle groups, genetics, breeding, raising,
finishing, processing of different meats, and how specific animals are best marketed
and utilized.鈥�
The college offers an associate of applied science in culinary arts with technical
certificates available in both hot foods and baking/pastry. The Maples Institute for
Culinary Arts is named in honor of the late Rel Maples, a pioneer of Gatlinburg鈥檚
restaurant scene. His widow, the late Wilma Maples, was a generous benefactor of the
college.
In the photo: 蜜桔直播 announced the addition of a butchery
program on Tuesday. From left are Dr. Tony Miksa, president of the college; Astrid
Friedrich of the Chamber of Crafts of South Thuringia, Germany; Chef Joe Cairns, head
of the Maples Institute for Culinary Arts at 蜜桔直播; Dr. Anita Ricker, assistant
dean of workforce development at the college; and Tobias Bolle, with the Association
of Chambers of Commerce for Service and Industry, Germany.