2nd Place Tie Gilroy Garlic Festival Cookoff Trent Sheldon & Michael Cohen

2nd Place Tie Gilroy Garlic Festival Cookoff Trent Sheldon & Michael Cohen
Second place was a tie between Trent Sheldon of Zionsville, Ind., and Michael Cohen of Los Angeles, who both took home $750. Sheldon made short ribs with black bean barbecue sauce and saffron- and garlic-infused root veggies. Returning to the festival after preparing Monterey duck rolls in last year's competition, Cohen made Baja California coconut and garlic sopa.
On Saturday, a panel of six celebrity judges examined the final dishes on flavor, texture, appearance and use of garlic. The judges included Devon Boisen, head chef at Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley; Wendy Brodie, food consultant with Art of Food TV; Froncillo; Minzer, a personal chef; Evelyn Miliate, head chef at Raley's Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods; and Jan Wahl, KCBS Radio movie critic.
The festival's Cook-off Committee disagreed with the judges' pick, awarding its first-ever Committee's Choice Award to Karen Harris of Castle Rock, Colo., for her slightly north of the border garlic shrimp salad summer rolls with garlic adobo lime drizzle.