Donald Moss, an O'Neill native became the nation's first graduate in culinology through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Donald Moss isn't a chef, exactly. He isn't a food scientist, either.

The 23-year old O'Neill native is some of both, and he received the degree that proves it.

Moss officially became the nation's first graduate in culinology when he accepted his University of Nebraska-Lincoln diploma at the school's graduation Friday, Dec 19, 2003.

About 1,450 graduates were expected to participate in the 9:30 am ceremony.

By the time Moss crossed the stage, he'll had cleared every academic hurdle but one - getting people to understand what culinology is.

"I've had to explain that so many times," he said. "It's been fairly challenging to try to tell people what I'm doing."

Last year, UNL became the nation's first university to offer the program, which combines culinary arts, nutrition and food science.

The school has teamed with Omaha's Metropolitan Community College to offer culinology, allowing many UNL students to fulfill their culinary arts requirements at MCC.

Moss is the first graduate of the year-old program, which now has 15 students. Its first graduate student (not Moss) starts in January.

The culinology program has helped put UNL's College of Education and Human Sciences on the map, according to Fayrene Hamouz, the college's associate dean.

"We've attracted individuals from across the United States," Hamouz said.

For Moss, the program is a way to combine the separated roles of chef and food scientist, making him more attractive to potential employers.

Traditionally, the food scientist worked to make food edible through scientific processes, while the chef focused more on the art, presentation and flavor of food, Moss said.

"This program bridges the gap and allows us to get the most out of food," he said.

Moss also hopes it helps him score a job.

He's already served two internships, working in the research and development divisions of two meat processing plants.

The culinology graduate now plans to work toward a master's degree in animal science, specializing in meat science.

Eventually, he hopes to work developing food products in a research kitchen of a "ConAgra or a company like that." Or maybe Moss will do something entirely different. He isn't sure which seemingly closed doors a culinology degree will open for him.

"Honestly, I don't even know about all the possibilities," Moss said. "I do know I have a lot of options out there."

First, the diploma. Moss also will receive a bachelor's degree in animal science, a major with enough overlap allowing him to finish the culinology program in just one year. He'll do so in front of a large contingent of family and friends, all ecstatic about knowing the nation's first culinology major, even if they're not quite sure what culinology is.

"It's pretty exciting," Moss said. "When I started the program, they kind of alluded to the fact that I'd be the first graduate in the nation.

"I didn't think much about it then, but it's something really special to be in my shoes now."