Los Gatos Man's Garlicky Dish Shines at Garlic Festival

Longtime Los Gatos resident Peter Carter responded in the affirmative during the "So You Think You Can Cook with Garlic?" competition at the 34th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival on Friday.

The professional photographer and public relations expert went head to head against three other cooks who were selected by Garlic Festival foodies earlier this year.

Carter's corn on the cob in garlic, butter and lemon sauce overshadowed dishes by Gilroy residents Sean Monroe and Michael McGill and San Franciscan Andrew Keller, according to a panel of judges seeking the ultimate garlic fix.

Carter's corn on the cob beat Monroe's garlic stuffed pork chops in garlic sauce dish, McGill's garlic chicken mashed potatoes and green beans recipe, and Keller's crawfish estouffee — showing that simplicity may be the winning component when cooking with garlic.

Carter prepared his garlicky corn at the festival's Cook-Off Theatre. He was persuaded to participate in the contest after friends he invites to his Broadway Avenue home for dinners and social events complimented him on his delicious concoction.

Proud wife Dennise Carter said: "Fresh corn with garlic, lemon and butter is one of our summertime favorites. What fun for Peter to be asked to share it with so many garlic lovers! Peter is an exuberant and wonderful chef!"

Recipes for all four dishes can be found on the Gilroy Garlic Festival Facebook page.

As for other cooking competitions, Laureen Pittman of Riverside won the Great Garlic Cook-Off Saturday with her pork belly with caramelized onion and fig agridulce and creamy polenta dish; and Jason Gronlund of the Hard Rock Cafe is the Garlic Showdown Champion, winning with his beef tenderloin on a seasoned lavosh dish.

The three-day festival drew approximately 100,204 people to Christmas Hill Park, down from last year's attendance of 109,067, according to festival spokesperson Peter Ciccarelli.

The festival brought in more than $1.9 million in revenue, some of which will be dispersed out to several local nonprofit organizations.

Festival President Hugh Davis said overall the festival was a huge success and that the 4,000-plus volunteers who came out to lend a hand played a pivotal role in making the event a hit.

"Our community of 4,000 volunteers came together for a 34-year tradition as the Bay Area's premier summertime destination," he said "People came, they ate, listened to live music and ate some more. Our volunteers did a great job of getting the food out in time without the lines filling up."

There were several additions to the festival this year, including a kids area with fun games and rides, as well as added shade to the Vineyard Stage for festival attendees.

"I'm very happy with the teen zone," Davis said. "We took a big risk with it, and it turned out to be a success. The bands on the Vineyard Stage had audiences all day, I saw more people at that stage this weekend than I have in 10 years."