Culinary Arts students at Ulster BOCES were recently treated to a lesson in the art of whole-animal butchery.

The school invited butcher expert Bryan Mayer of Fleishers Craft Butchery in Brooklyn to demonstrate his cutting, chopping, and slicing skills.

"There has been a huge resurgence of chefs and cooking enthusiasts who want to become better versed in speaking with those who butcher their meats, as well as those more courageous who want to learn how to actually butcher their own meats," explained Mayer. "As more people take an interest in the foods they eat and the health and well being of the planet, the more they'll want to take responsibility for the care of their food."

Culinary Arts instructor Victor Arnao said, "Whether my students are going into the industry or just seeking a better understanding of what's in the butcher case, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained from watching a whole animal being butchered." Arnao says he exposes his students to these types of experiences so they'll start to ask critical questions about their food and where it comes from.

"Do I care if it's factory raised or am I willing to pay more for something pasture raised, do I care if it's butchered on an assembly line or do I prefer my meat to be hand crafted into specialty cuts?" said Arnao.

Culinary Arts student Troy Miller of Kingston High School said he was most impressed with how many different cuts of meat there were on a cow carcass. "I was familiar with some of the more classic cuts like shanks and porterhouses, but I didn't know about some of the newly discovered cuts like the petit or the Denver," Miller said.

Maya Gray of Saugerties High School said she was most impressed with how much the butcher knew about the animal. "He was like a medical doctor when he was describing the different muscles and tendons," Gray commented.

Farmer Keith Kortright of Kerhonkson donated the cow carcass so that the class could see this under-appreciated art up close and personal. Kortright raises cows and said it's important that people feel connected with their food.