The final day at Foodlink was a victorious one for the inaugural class of the Foodlink Career Fellowship.

To cap off the third quarter of Foodlink’s new culinary training program, the kitchen hosted a friendly competition between the Fellowship and Foodlink’s full-time kitchen staff. “The Great Foodlink Cooking Showdown was held in conjunction with the annual healthy potluck, where staff members prepare and share healthy dishes to celebrate the culmination of National Nutrition Month.

The teams had about one hour to prepare two dishes apiece. A judging panel then sampled each dish, provided feedback and determined the winner. The “Broccoli Tots” created by the Fellowship received the highest praise.

The Fellows have completed nine months of intensive training at Foodlink, both in a classroom (170 hours) and hands-on training (860 hours) preparing meals in the Foodlink Community Kitchen. They have also spent time (62 hours) developing their soft skills as they prepare for the next steps in their careers.

The final quarter of the year-long program, which was recently approved as the first official Cook Apprenticeship in the state, takes place outside of Foodlink. The inaugural class interviewed for, and all received internship positions at area Wegmans locations. The Fellows started on April 1.

On Saturday, the Fellows attended orientation at Wegmans’ flagship store in Pittsford, On Monday, they start their 3-month internship.