2015
Garlic Showdown…
Local restaurant
owners participate
in Iron Chef style
competition
By Larry J. Mickartz
T
he Garlic Showdown is a Sunday
event at the Garlic Festival. The
event is an Iron Chef style competi-
tion. Four professional chefs compete for a
grand prize of $5,000.
The Garlic Festival attracts visitors
form all over the world. The Friday Great
Cook-Off attracts amateur competitors
from all over the United States. California
Universities compete for the Saturday
Garlic Bowl and on Sunday, profes-
sional chefs from the Bay Area compete
in the Garlic Showdown. This year one
of the chefs was Gilroy restaurant owner,
Adam Sanchez, and his restaurant partner
and sous chef for the day, Ann Zybarra.
Adam and Ann are owners of the Milias
Restaurant in downtown Gilroy. The other
competitors were Jonathan Toste of Willard
Hicks restaurant in Campbell; Danae
McLaughlin of the Harker Schools in
San Jose; and Chad Greer of LB Steak
in San Jose.
Shortly before the
competition the com-
petitors were introduced
to a somewhat limited
pantry and the mys-
tery ingredients: baby
cucumbers, Spam, Dole
fruit cocktail, and squash
blossoms. Competitors
had to prepare two
dishes, one chicken and one pork loin. The
competition was timed. In less than two
hours, dishes were prepared, served and
judged.
While Adam and Ann did not win, they
admitted to having fun and were pleased
with their final dishes. The mystery ingre-
dients were a challenge…most fine dining
establishments do not use a lot of Span or
fruit cocktail. The penny sized baby cucum-
bers were an unknown entity. The squash
blossoms fit in nicely. Congratulations to
our local celebrity chefs!
The judges agreed the final entrees
were delicious all around and the final
scores were very close. The 2015 winner
was Jonathan Toste from Willard Hicks.
Daphne Oz, co-host of ABC’s The Chew
and three-time Showdown winner Chef
Jason Gronlund, hosted the event. Chef
Gronlund is currently the Vice-President
of Culinary for the Orlando based Smokey
Bones Bar & Grill. Chef Gronlund donat-
ed his 2014 prize money to the Gilroy
Foundation.
What would you make with baby cucumbers, Spam, Dole fruit cocktail and squash blossoms?
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEM BER/OCTOBER 2015
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