Monday, June 10, 2013

Judging the Garlic Festival Cook-off

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is to celebrate its 35th year on July 26, 27, 28, 2013.  Chef Wendy Brodie has been the consultant to the Cook Off competition as well as judging each of the past many years and again this year on July 27th the competition will take place on the cook-off stage.  This year Wendy will also be an emcee during the event.  The festival is one of the best run festival in the U.S. and has received accolades and has been copied by many other events throughout the country as well as some in foreign countries.  There are close to 200 enterants sending in their favorite recipes, from around the country, even Canada, for acceptance.  The review committee has first crack at them to determine if they are meetiing all the contest criteria.  They are then scrutinized to assure they meet the rest of the criteria such as length of time to prepare and ingredients.  When they get to Wendy there are about 50+ and she reviews them for a further sampling of diversity and reasonabilness thus ending up with about 20 to cook and sample for final entrance into the contest.  There will be 10 recipes selected, 8 of which will compete and the other 2 as stand-by just in case one of the top 8 is not there at the time.  Wendy is joined by 5 to 10 volunteers from the Garlic Festival committee to come to her home and help cook all of them.  Incidentely her home by then has that wonderful arroma of the "Stinking Rose".  Please plan to attend this terrific festival including the Cook Off; you will be excitedlly entertained.  www.gilroygarlicfestival.com and 408-842-1625.  Hope to see you there.

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