gmhTODAY 20 gmhToday June July 2018 | Page 73

Shaun O ' Neale

Michael Symon

102,667 Attendance

$ 11.5 Million has gone back to the community since 1979— $ 275,000 last year

146 Charities and non-profit organizations received benefits

60 Food / Beverage vendors 100 Arts & Crafts vendors

4,000 Volunteers 60 Chairpeople 9 Board Members

Brian Boitano

Champion Chefs on the Cook-Off Stage

This year the Festival has invited some of the culinary world’ s greatest superstars to the Garlic Cook-Off Stage to join in the 40th annual celebration. On Friday, July 27, MasterChef Season 7 Winner Shaun O’ Neale will be back to serve as emcee for the Champions for Charity cooking competition and will also do his own cooking demonstration on the Garlic Cook-Off Stage.

On his trip to the Garlic Capital of the World last year, Shaun O’ Neale was especially impressed by the fact that the Festival is run almost entirely by volunteers working to raise money for local schools and charities.“ The Gilroy Garlic Festival should be the platform for how food festivals are run around the world,” said O’ Neale.“ Garlic for everyone!”

On Saturday, Olympic champion and television chef Brian Boitano— who grew up just up the road in Sunnyvale— will be making his Gilroy Garlic Festival debut. No stranger to performing under pressure, Boitano will emcee the high-stakes Great Garlic Cook-Off and then do a cooking demonstration on the Garlic Cook-Off Stage, sharing one of his own favorite recipes and answering questions from the audience.

Boitano is of course best known as the champion figure skater who won Olympic Gold in 1988. He has also gained fame as a chef and TV personality, having hosted the Food Network show What Would Brian Boitano Make? and published a popular cookbook of the same name. His recipes are designed for people with active lifestyles who care about nutrition but also enjoy eating great food.

Over the last 40 years, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has welcomed many famous celebrity chefs to the Garlic Cook-Off Stage, but has never hosted a true Iron Chef— until now! On Sunday, Iron Chef Michael Symon will emcee the Garlic Showdown at high noon on the Garlic Cook-Off Stage, then perform a live cooking demonstration, answer questions from the audience, and sign autographs.

Growing up in a Greek and Sicilian family in Cleveland, Michael Symon creates boldly flavored, deeply satisfying dishes at his award-winning restaurants, which include Lola, Mabel’ s BBQ, and Angeline. Michael also shares his exuberant, approachable cooking style and infectious laugh with viewers as an Iron Chef on the Food Network and as a co-host on ABC’ s“ The Chew.”

Want a chance to meet these famous chefs in person? Just go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival Facebook(@ garlicfestival) or Twitter(@ GilroyGarlicFes) pages and enter to win prize packages that include free Combo Plate admission tickets, a VIP shuttle to the Festival, seats right on the stage, a private photo session, and a garlic goodie bag!

40,000 Total volunteer hours 17,000 Volunteer hours in Gourmet Alley

Sign up as a group or individual at gilroygarlicfestival. com / about / volunteering /

• Souvenir Shops Added

• Grown from 15,000 visitors in 1979 to over 100,000 per year now.

• Children’ s Area expanded and moved closer to Amphitheater in 2017

• New outdoor Wine Garden moved to mulberry grove( no longer inside tent) in 2017.

• Cook-Off Stage now features cooking competitions and celebrity chefs all three days; live video shown on JumboTron screens; bleacher seating on three sides.

• Gourmet Alley now serves food on both Ranch Side and Park Side, with satellite booths for Garlic Fries, Zesty Fried Garlic Calamari, and Gilroy Garlic Shrimp.

• Many improvements through-out Christmas Hill Park, including Amphitheater stage and more shaded seating areas.

• Sponsorship opportunities for local businesses; gilroygarlicfestival. com / sponsors / for details or call 408-842-1625.

• Entertainment— continues to feature over 50 acts on three stages( Amphitheater, Vineyard and Gazebo) plus strolling musicians and entertainers in the Children’ s Area.

GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JUNE / JULY 2018 gmhtoday. com

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