On April 14th, the City of Rochester’s Wellness Committee hosted a “healthy recipe” cook-off among six teams of staff members, including Mayor Paul Callaghan, City Manager Blaine Cox, and several others from various municipal departments.
Eight seniors from the Senior Activity Center were invited to judge the recipes, including Diane Garland, Carl Provencal, Jeanne Trepanier, Debbe Sanborn, Pamela Foss, Barbara Loiselle, Deb Stanton, and Al Rouff. Ronald Rumberger and Pam Simmons assisted with the judging process, while DJ Al Rouff provided background music.
The teams prepped and cooked from 10:30 am to 11:15 am, followed by tasting and judging from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm. The winners were announced and rewarded with a trophy, with the winning team being Kay Snyder and Kimberly Conley for their Ramen Noodle Salad.
Representing the Police Department was Becky Warburton, who won second place. Also from the Police Department, Michael Miehle received Honorable Mention. The City’s Planning Department and Robin Hilman-Healey, from the Legal Department, provided stiff competition with their respective dishes.
Mayor Callaghan and City Manager Blaine Cox received special accolades for going so far as to bring a camper to cook their healthy meal, eggs and sweet potato casserole. They were commended for being “early risers and serious competitors.”