CANANDAIGUA, NY — A SUNY Sullivan chef instructor and four of his students won a cookoff at the New York Beef Council’s Farm to Fork two-day event recently. Six culinary schools, Monroe Community College, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Erie Community College, SUNY Sullivan County Community College, Westchester Community College and Finger Lakes Community College toured Noblehurst Dairy Farms in Pavilion, NY and Provitello Veal Farm in Elba, NY. Then, on the afternoon of Day 2, students were challenged to create veal sliders with a “gastropub” theme.

SUNY Sullivan instructor Chef Michael Bel and students Mary Lewis, Ahsley Groom, Dante Columno and Chris Deserto were the winning team. “The students did an impressive job,” remarked Jean O’Toole, director of integrated marketing communications for the NY Beef Council, coordinator of the event. “We asked them to create veal sliders with a ‘gastropub’ theme; they did an amazing job on the fly. Every school rose to the occasion and thought differently about the concept and veal.”