Two UC Berkeley chefs are going to be competing for garlic gold in an Iron Chef-esque cookout on July 25 at the 36th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. While the festival will feature all kinds of entertainment, arts and craft, free food and even a Miss Gilroy Garlic competition, where pageant contestants will present garlic speeches, the event’s Garlic Bowl cooking competition will be the center of the festivities. Every year, the Garlic Bowl kicks off the rest of the three-daylong festival, and chefs from local universities have to come up with their own garlic-themed recipes to present at the timed cookout.

From left to right, Jennifer Albers and Mary Ferrer

Mary Ferrer, executive chef at Cafe 3, and Jennifer Albers, executive chef at Foothill, will be facing off against chefs from colleges and universities all over California. We sat down with Foothill executive chef Mary Ferrer to discuss what’s in store. Ferrer and Albers make the perfect duo and have collaborated on a variety of dining commons recipes and menus. “I think we will work well together and each bring our culinary talents to the table,” Ferrer said. “I know it will be a little stressful getting set up and ready, but once the competition gets started, it should be smooth sailing to a win for UC Berkeley!”

This year, the team has both a savory and sweet recipe. As Ferrer put it, the recipes “ … will have subtle hints of garlic, complemented with the flavors/ingredients of each dish.” Competing for the Garlic Bowl, however, is no easy task. The contest involves an intense timed cookout in front of a panel of judges, and even the slightest mistake can get a team disqualified.

“Our motivation this year is ‘redemption,’ ” says Ferrer.  “We happened to be disqualified for going over the time limit last year, but we were so close!  The panel of judges really enjoyed our dishes. To prepare for any culinary competition takes practice, practice and more practice.”

While Fresno State may have taken home the Garlic Bowl last year, the Cal Dining team is ready to sweep up the win this time around. “As a chef at UC Berkeley, our staff at times serves dinner to more than 1,000 customers each night. So definitely, we need to multitask, and that skill is handy — also, thinking on your feet and producing high-quality food that meets our exceptional Cal Dining standards come competition time,” Ferrer said.

While the team has been practicing, Ferrer explained one surefire way for them to grab the win. “Students and staff can definitely help us by coming to Gilroy, wearing their Cal gear and cheering us on.  Last year, we had a nice cheering section.  It really helped energize us when we hear from the crowd.  Let’s beat Fresno State this year! Go Bears!!!!!”

For more information, check out the official festival website. You can buy discounted tickets here using the promotional code Oski.

 Image Sources: Image 1 and newscenter

Contact Nitisha Baronia at nbaronia@dailycal.org.