On Feb. 26, sixteen finalists representing all the Ferndale district elementary schools competed in the Sodexo Future Chefs Culinary Competition. This was the first round of a national competition involving 171 districts across the country. The primary goal of the contest was to get kids thinking about healthy eating by creating healthy sandwich recipes. The 16 finalists’ recipes were chosen from 50 entries. The finalists were then invited to create their sandwiches for a panel of judges to taste and score. Hungry spectators got to sample all the entries as well — a deliciously challenging and fulfilling job!
Congratulations to all the contestants and to the three medal winners:
- Bronze medal – Priyanka Bali, 5th grade, Chicken Salad Panini
- Silver medal – Joey Szili, 2nd grade, Tasty Tortilla
- Gold medal – Hailey Pavitt, Kindergarten, Crunchy Kale Chip Turkey Wrap

Silver medal sandwich – Tasty Tortilla

Gold medal winner, Hailey Pavitt