Eat your way through Garlic Alley Gilroy's garlic festival and learn what good food really tastes like.
Where else can one feast on food laced with over two tons of fresh garlic, enjoy three stages of musical entertainment, shop in arts and crafts, view the great garlic cook-off and other celebrity cooking demonstrations, spend time in the children's area, visit interactive displays set up by many of our sponsors, soak up some glorious sunshine, and mingle with a fun bunch of garlic-loving people?
The GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL in Gilroy, California!!
We have over 4,000 spirited volunteers ready to make your trip to the Gilroy Garlic Festival a most memorable experience.
Whether you are a first-time visitor or a "seasoned" veteran, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is always a fun and fragrant experience. Over 3 million honored guests have made the pilgrimage.
Recipe Contest and Cook-Off
What It Is
The Great Garlic Cook-off is one of the most well-known cooking contests in the country.
Starting in December of each year, the Gilroy Garlic Festival puts out a call across the United States and Canada for the best garlic recipes. Hundreds of amateur chefs respond with delicious sounding recipes that run the gamut from soups to desserts and from every type of cuisine.
Recent winners have included Basil and Garlic-Stuffed Sea Scallops wrapped in Prosciutto and served with a Spicy Citrus Beurre Blanc and Garlic Seafood Soup
The most delicious-sounding recipes, approximately 50, are forwarded to a professional food consultant who makes the final selection of the eight recipes. The consultant prepares each recipe to ensure correct measurements and use of ingredients. These finalists' recipes are those considered to make the most interesting and exciting contest.
The finalists come to Gilroy to prepare their recipes on the Saturday of the festival in front of the public. By 12:15, celebrity judges pick their favorites. The winner of the Great Garlic Cook-Off is appropriately honored with a crown of garlic and goes home $1,000 richer. Second place is awarded $750; third, $500. The other finalists are given $100.00 each.
For garlic tips and new recipes, the Great Garlic Cook-Off Stage is the place you want to be!
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