Exhibit pieced together by local resident showcases city’s ties
to the stinky bulb
Although Gilroy bills itself as “the Garlic Capital of the World,” few locals know the history of South Valley’s odorous industry that brought the city this proud title.
That’s about to change with a new garlic-centric display opening today at Gilroy City Hall. The project was put together by Erin Griesbaum, a local resident now working on her master’s degree in museum studies at San Francisco State University.
Sponsored by the Gilroy Historical Museum, the exhibit is titled “What’s That Smell? (It’s That Funky Gilroy).”
“The director of my (master’s) program said I needed to come up with a really catchy title,” said Griesbaum, 26. “While going through files (at the Gilroy History Museum), I found this record that has a garlic anthem on one side.”
The record’s unusual title inspired Griesbaum’s exhibit name. The novelty song was written in the 1970s by Gary Steinmetz and F.J. Mendiola to honor Gilroy’s odorous bulbs.
“What really gets most people is you can really smell garlic here from the processing plants,” she said. “It tells you there’s garlic in Gilroy.”
In three display cases, the exhibit highlights various key points of Gilroy’s garlic industry. It starts by explaining how Kihoshi “Jimmy” Hirasaki began the commercial growth of garlic in the area. Hirasaki became nationally famous as “The Garlic King,” Griesbaum said.
“He began by growing seed crops but moved into growing garlic after being convinced to do so by George Clausen Sr. of Gentry Foods,” she said. “He was very successful in garlic, and by 1941 he had become one of the largest garlic growers in the state with 1,500 acres under cultivation.”
Other panels describe local farmers George Gubser Jr. and Don Christopher’s contributions to the Gilroy garlic industry. The exhibit also explains the importance of garlic dehydration, a process done by Gentry Foods, which was purchased by Gilroy Foods in 1987.
Despite the South Valley’s garlicky fame and history, only a very small percentage of California’s garlic is now grown here, Griesbaum said.
“Most of the garlic grown in California is no longer grown around Gilroy,” she said. “It’s grown in the Central Valley. Another issue affecting the garlic industry today is the importation of inexpensive garlic from China.”
Griesbaum’s exhibit is a final project requirement to graduate this May with her master’s degree. She chose the subject of the history of garlic partly because her father, Forrest Griesbaum, works in research and development at Gilroy Foods.
“Also, I think people know only a little about the garlic history here,” she said. “I didn’t know that much about it before I started (the project.)”
Griesbaum’s City Hall exhibit provides a garlic history booklet that people can take home for their reference. The publication includes information about how garlic is grown and harvested, the varieties of garlic grown in California, and the health benefits attributed to garlic.
Griesbaum has lived in Gilroy since her family moved her when she was 6. After graduating from Gilroy High School in 1998, she worked for a couple of years at the Gilroy Historical Museum. That experience sparked in her an interest in working at museums.
The “What’s That Smell?” exhibit will be on display at City Hall until June 29. After that, the Gilroy Historical Museum will “cannibalize” it for its exhibit use, said Lucy Solorzano, the museum coordinator.
“People come in here looking for an exhibit on garlic, and we don’t have one,” she said. “We’ve been talking about putting an exhibit up for years, so this is going to be a great start for ours.”
If You Go
– Gilroy City Hall is located at 7351 Rosanna St.
– For more information on the exhibit, call (408) 607-5445
