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That sweetly pungent smell wafting up from the south can mean only one thing: the Gilroy Garlic Festival. This one is a biggie — the 40th annual — and will be held, as always, on the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month (July 27-29) at the city’s Christmas Hill Park, with garlicky food, cooking competitions, recipe demos, live music and vendors.
Here’s what’s new this year, plus a refresher on tickets, transportation and more:
THE CELEBS, THE CONTESTS: Making his first appearance in Gilroy will be Michael Symon, the Iron Chef who vaulted from Cleveland to global culinary stardom. Who better to emcee the festival’s Iron Chef-style competition at noon that Sunday, July 29? Last year’s winner, chef Carlos Pineda, will defend his title against chef Annie Smith of the “Food Fighters” show; Jason Ryczek, executive chef at Farallon in San Francisco; and Miriam Vega, chef at La Niña Perdida in Morgan Hill. Afterward, Symon will demo a recipe for the crowd and answer questions.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, July 28, Brian Boitano — Food Network chef, Olympic skating champion and South Bay native — will host the Great Garlic Cook-Off, an annual tradition that pits some of the nation’s top amateur chefs against each other. Three of this year’s eight finalists are from California. Gilroy’s Todd Antepenko will make Asian-inspired ribs, Betty Hass of Cupertino will serve “Cookies & Cocktails” and Lidia Haddadian of Pasadena will prepare her roasted garlic pierogis.
Kicking off the festival’s lineup of cooking competitions will be Friday’s 11 a.m. Champions for Charity, with first responders showing off their culinary skills (July 27). Shaun O’Neale, the season 7 “MasterChef” winner, will emcee this one. Competing will be John Campbell and Morgan Sanders (EMS for AMR/Santa Clara County); Robert Herrera and Ludwin Marroquin-Cifuentes (San Jose Fire Department); Herb Alpers and Tom Evans (South Santa Clara County Fire/CAL Fire); and Bret Barker and Becky Barker (U.S. Army). The winning team will donate the $3,000 prize to the charity of their choice.
THE KIDS: Wannabe culinary stars ages 6 to 15 will compete at 2 p.m. Friday (July 27) in the first-ever Garlic Chef Jr., a contest inspired by the popularity of such TV shows as “MasterChef Junior” and “Kids Baking Championship.” And 13-year-old Gilroy chef Alexis Higgins, who competed in “MasterChef Junior” at the age of 8, will present a cooking demo at 11 a.m. Sunday.
THE VINTAGE VIBE: This 40th anniversary calls for a fond look back at the first Gilroy Garlic Festival in 1979. That means you’ll see retro posters and fashions around the park. And Polaroids. Remember those?
THE SENTIMENTAL FAVES: At 4 p.m. Friday (July 27), festival co-founder Don Christopher of Christopher Ranch Garlic, which provides all the garlic for the event, will present a program, “Celebrating 40 Years of Family Fun.” The cooking duo of Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo, aka “SakaBozzo,” will make an appearance onstage at 5 p.m. Saturday (July 28).
THE FOOD: The sizzling pyro chefs at Gourmet Alley will serve their classic recipes for garlic scampi, pasta con pesto, pepper steak sandwiches, calamari and more. Vendors will sell sliders, hot dogs, nachos, burritos and other festival fare. And festivalgoers can buy tickets to sample ribs at the Gilroy Garli-que BBQ Challenge and cast their vote for People’s Choice.
THE MUST-TRY DISH: As always, the most unusual item at the fest is the garlic ice cream. You’ll love it or hate it — but you have to try it. And it’s free, courtesy of Olam Foods of Gilroy.
THE MUSIC: San Jose’s KRTY 95.3 will broadcast live all weekend from the festival and will host “Hot Country Sunday” on the Amphitheater Stage. The lineup includes Mitchell Tenpenny, Travis Denning and Cale Dodds.
THE GARLIC TRAIN: If you want to avoid the backed-up traffic on Highway 101, consider taking the Garlic Train on Saturday or Sunday. It’s a charter that will leave Diridon Station in San Jose at 10 a.m. both days. When you arrive in downtown Gilroy one hour later, a shuttle bus will ferry you to the festival. For the return trip, hop on the bus at 3 p.m. to catch the train back north. It will leave Gilroy at 4 p.m.
Train tickets include festival admission: $43 adults, $38 seniors (age 60-plus) and $33 youths (ages 10-16). Buy online at www.gilroygarlicfestival.com.
THE TRAFFIC: If you’re driving, do not follow GPS instructions and be wary of Waze because streets near the park will be blocked off. Instead, follow the electronic signs (and the long line of cars) on Highway 101 south and other freeways to this year’s parking lots. They open at 9 a.m. Parking costs $10; the shuttles are free. Note: You’ll be parking primarily on “graded agricultural fields,” so comfy closed-toe shoes are recommended.
THE DEALS: You can save $2 off each ticket by buying online in advance (print out your tickets or download the bar code to your phone for scanning) or at any Raley’s, Nob Hill or Bel Air stores. Admission is $18 online/store for adults (or $20 at the gate), $13 for seniors (or $15 at the gate) and $8 for youths (or $10 at the gate). Kids ages 9 and under get in free. Plus you can save $2 on a combo food plate when bought in advance.
THE HOURS: Easy to remember. It’s 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Entrance gates close at 6 p.m. Find more info at www.gilroygarlicfestival.com.
THE LAST WORD: More than 4,000 volunteers put on this festival annually. So your admission, food, wine, beer and souvenir monies go to good causes, making your garlic breath well worth it. Since 1979, the festival has raised more than $11.5 million for local nonprofits and schools.
