The exciting change at the 27th Garlic Festival isn't garlic pie or garlic soufflé, it's the cooking demonstration stage, where garlic partiers can see first-hand how all the old favorites are made.

"People can come and watch all the different items of Gourmet Alley being made up close and ask questions of the people making them," said Greg Bozzo, the man charged with bringing the festival's sumptuous treats to the people.

So bring on the peppersteak sandwich, the scampi, the calamari, the sausage and all the other old favorites. And this, year, Bozzo promised, the new creamy pasta con pesto will please, now that festival chefs have figured out how to prepare the recipe for thousands

"We tested it for 20, 30 and even hundreds of people," Bozzo said of last year's disappointing results. "We made a slight change in the recipe and how we prepared it, and this year it's ready."

The biggest change this year is the addition of several new vendors, most of them local restaurants, such as Hawaii'z Island Grill and Happy Dog Pizza.

"We're very excited," Happy Dog co-owner Steve Gearing said of his joint's first year at the festival. "It's an opportunity for people from all over the Bay Area who haven't heard about us to come try our food and experience the wood fire oven and what we can do."

Happy Dog will have two wood ovens on site and serve up it's house favorites Gilroy Garlic Chicken, Waaay Too Much Garlic and Shrimp, and the Greek-style Who Loves Ya Baby?.

The restaurants will be joined By Maui Tacos, It's a Grind and Gordon Biersch, serving up its famed Gilroy garlic fries and a beer or two. And don't forget the always-popular Louisiana Cajun Lady and her key-lime calamari.

Also, check out the Ranch side for some unusual fare, such as Cajun crawdads, rattlesnake, buffalo, and kangaroo.

Kirsten Carr, executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau, said that it's exciting to have so many local vendors represented at the festival.

"It's nice to be able to highlight local restaurants at the festival," she said. "We tell people to come hungry. Do not eat breakfast because we have stuff for you to eat all day."

By the pound

Food sold by the pound

• Peppersteak sandwich: 19,000*

• Calamari: 6,000

• Pasta con pesto: 6,000

• Scampi: 5,000

• Mushrooms: 4,500

• Sausage: 4,000**

• Garlic: 4,000

• Garlic bread loaves: 10,000

*beef

** sausage link

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