Judging the Garlic Festival Cook-off

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is to celebrate its 35th year on July 26, 27, 28, 2013.  Chef Wendy Brodie has been the consultant to the Cook Off competition as well as judging each of the past many years and again this year on July 27th the competition will take place on the cook-off stage.  This year Wendy will also be an emcee during the event.  The festival is one of the best run festival in the U.S. and has received accolades and has been copied by many other events throughout the country as well as some in foreign countries.  There are close to 200 enterants sending in their favorite recipes, from around the country, even Canada, for acceptance.  The review committee has first crack at them to determine if they are meetiing all the contest criteria.  They are then scrutinized to assure they meet the rest of the criteria such as length of time to prepare and ingredients.  When they get to Wendy there are about 50+ and she reviews them for a further sampling of diversity and reasonabilness thus ending up with about 20 to cook and sample for final entrance into the contest.  There will be 10 recipes selected, 8 of which will compete and the other 2 as stand-by just in case one of the top 8 is not there at the time.  Wendy is joined by 5 to 10 volunteers from the Garlic Festival committee to come to her home and help cook all of them.  Incidentely her home by then has that wonderful arroma of the "Stinking Rose".  Please plan to attend this terrific festival including the Cook Off; you will be excitedlly entertained.  www.gilroygarlicfestival.com and 408-842-1625.  Hope to see you there.

Wendy honored by Escoffier

Stonepine Estate along with “Les Disciples d’Auguste Escoffier” USA will be hosting a first ever Women Chef Induction ceremony and dinner on October 30, 2011 for the Disciples d'Escoffier here in California.

The three exceptional women Executive-Chefs are:

Elisabeth Falkner
Owner - Citizen Cake & Orson – San Francisco
www.elizabethfalkner.com

Nancy Oakes
Owner – Boulevard Restaurant – San Francisco
www.boulevardrestaurant.com

Wendy Brodie
Artist & Chef – Art of Food Catering – Carmel
www.artoffoodtv.com

Stonepine Estate is the new headquarters for the association of “Les Disciples d’Auguste Escoffier” USA with Jean-Paul Peluffo as Vice-President, California Chapter. The ceremony will take place at Stonepine Estate in the Chateau Noel, a very special venue with limited seating.

The Disciples d'Escoffier is the most prestigious membership of Executive Chefs in the world. Escoffier is really the Father of culinary arts in this and the past century; most every culinary school does and has used his encyclopedic volume for reference and training in their curriculum. We are honored they are inducting the first female (three) chefs for membership in the California Chapter.

Find out details about the induction ceremony.

Find out more about the mission, history, goals, programs and membership of Disciples Escoffier International USA.