Culinary programs have been an integral part of the Beef Checkoff and its related predecessor organizations going back to the early 1900s. The first culinary-related publication was created by the National Livestock and Meat Board in 1924 and was titled, “Meat and How I Cook It.” It contained 188 recipes and was specifically designed to meet the needs of high school economics teachers, and in fact, was utilized as, “the first national high school home economics recipe book.” 

Over the past 100 years, hundreds of publications have been developed, thousands (upon thousands) of recipes created, along with countless cooking demonstrations, products tests, and educational seminars (and now webinars) conducted by dedicated culinarians and chefs. Over that time, society has changed, new generations have come, and gone, and technologies have changed the way people live (most likely beyond many people’s imagination from 1924). Yet, many things remain the same. 

People still need to eat. People still love beef, maybe now more than ever. And people still have a lack of cooking knowledge and struggle to get food on the dinner table for their family. Other challenges have arisen as well. Food prices are increasing, other protein choices are abundant, time pressures on families are growing, many foodservice operators are struggling to either stay in business or keep beef on the menu, along with numerous other issues facing today’s consumers and businesses. 

So, how does the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. culinary team, funded by the Beef Checkoff, address these challenges to better serve beef producers? We can continue with what we have always done, and to a degree we will, but we can also understand the current environment and look to the future to create a new and revitalized culinary program and vision. 

In 2022, with collaboration across teams at NCBA, a contractor of the Beef Checkoff, the current environment was examined, trends discussed, challenges and opportunities identified, and essentially the question, “What if?” was asked. Through this process more than 1,000 ideas were generated, along with a list of targeted areas to focus on, but most importantly, a new vision was created for the culinary program. Out of these working sessions came the following vision: To be the leading voice and resource for beef culinary knowledge, experiences, and innovation, from classic and cultural preparations to timely, future inspirations. 

This is a lofty goal but achievable, and much work will need to be done to attain it. As time goes on you will hear more about programs designed to realize this vision, and about further interactions with the food industry, state beef council partners, and beef producers. Stay tuned for additional information in upcoming articles. But for now, since grilling season is right around the corner, here is a recipe specially created by Chef Alex Reitz in the Checkoff-funded Beef Culinary Center to support the summer grilling program.