Missouri Culinary Students Can “Taste” Alcohol

Food can be a passion, whether you’re a gourmet chef or a blogging “foodie,” the ability to create and consume tasty snacks and meals is a delicious aspect of life. Food, much like alcohol, is a common, social activity, too, and there are plenty of people who want to be the next Top Chef or simply learn how to cook a delicious meal for family and friends. For the chef-sighted people, the next stop is a great culinary school where all aspects of cooking are learned, including how to use alcohol in different foods. But, a fresh-out-of-high-school culinary student isn’t technically old enough to consume the alcohol they’re using at school. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance in most states… so what if alcohol is part of your job, and you need to taste it to get an “A” in your class?

In Missouri, you can taste that alcohol.

Missouri allows culinary students under the age of 21 to drink alcohol, under certain circumstances.

• You must be enrolled in a culinary school or a course in culinary arts in Missouri.
• You must be 18 or older.
• You are required to taste (not consume) alcohol as part of your education.
• Your supervisor is 21 or older and is in possession of the alcohol.

Of course, none of that says you can swallow or ingest the alcohol. It is all about taste and adding flavor to food. That also means that if you are a culinary student who is caught drinking and driving, you’ll face Missouri’s underage drinking laws if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit reflects more than a “taste” or two of alcohol. You may not be required to install an ignition interlock device, but, your 90-day license suspension may make you wish you had the option to do so.