At first glance, Gilroy’s ethnic diversity seems pretty cut and
dry. About half the town is white, the other half Hispanic.
A simple drive down Monterey Street and a left toward Hecker
Pass shows how the two cultures are interwoven in this small but
ever-growing city.
At first glance, Gilroy’s ethnic diversity seems pretty cut and dry. About half the town is white, the other half Hispanic.
A simple drive down Monterey Street and a left toward Hecker Pass shows how the two cultures are interwoven in this small but ever-growing city.
At night along Monterey, young urban professionals at Old City Hall Restaurant eat gourmet food, while Spanish-speaking men in cowboy hats, shiny shirts and dark blue jeans pour into Rio Nilo night club.
Down First Street during the day, shoppers buy low-price fruits and vegetables at Kachey Produce, a grocery stand one could imagine Caesar Chavez frequenting had he been a Gilroyan. Nearby, the smoke from Mexican-style grilled chicken wafts through the air.
Barely a block away is mogul Michael Bonfante’s former supermarket Nob Hill, a spa of a grocery store with Silicon Valley inspired prices. And at the corner of that shopping center is the familiar sight of Starbucks patrons, sipping coffee drinks they could not have pronounced just over a decade ago.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 24,000 Gilroyans consider themselves white and more than 19,000 list themselves as Mexican.
But data from the 2000 census and its 1990 equivalent depict a changing ethnic landscape in the garlic capital. A number of ethnicities are growing in number beyond the rate of normal population growth.
The two ethnic groups with the most growth from 1990 to 2000 are Filipinos and Vietnamese. In 1990, there were 408 Filipinos in Gilroy. By 2000, there were 661. For the Vietnamese, only 34 called Gilroy home in 1990. In 2000, the number skyrocketed to 219.
That drive down Monterey Street and west onto Hecker Pass helps to put the numbers into perspective. The recently opened Designer Furniture Warehouse on Monterey and Tenth is owned and operated by Vietnamese. And on First Street, Taste of Pinoy serves authentic Filipino food made by Filipinos.
“I was very excited when the Filipino restaurant opened up,” said Dorie Sandow, a resident since 1996 and a member of the Phil-Am Community of Gilroy, a social and cultural club for Filipino-Americans. “Filipinos cannot meet without eating.”
The influx
There is no scientific explanation for the surge in Filipinos and Vietnamese, but there is a common sense one. And both Sandow and Hai Tran – the Vietnamese owner of Designer Furniture Warehouse – say it’s all about quality of life.
“We just wanted to get away from San Jose,” Tran said. ”We want to raise kids and be a family unit and bring businesses here, too.”
Sandow agreed.
“My reason was to have more quality of life,” said Sandow. “That’s what I’m hearing other people doing, too.”
The population increases for both communities are nothing eye-popping. The Chinese population also increased, but not by as much (209 in 1990 to 252 in 2000). And the African-American population saw a significant rise, too (378 to 743).
But considering one of the mainstay populations in Gilroy – the Japanese – the decreases are clearly significant.
The Japanese, who have been in Gilroy since the early 1900s, numbered 395 in 1990. In 2000, there were only 328 Japanese living in the garlic town – a name coined in large part because of Kiyoshi Hirasaki, who was born in Japan later became the largest garlic grower in the United States in 1940.
Once again, that Monterey to Hecker Pass drives comes in handy. The diner at Gilroy Bowl still serves a Japanese menu, complete with traditional miso (soy bean-based) soup and donburi (rice bowl with scrambled egg, onions and deep fried shrimp or pork).
Along First Street, a Ninja Sushi restaurant abuts Weinerschnitzel.
There aren’t any Portuguese restaurants in town, but the culture of that seafaring European nation is clear as fresh ocean water. Atop the hierarchy of Gilroy politics, sits the mayor. And that seat is filled by Portuguese-born Al Pinheiro, who is often self-deprecating about his sometimes-broken English. But the man speaks as fluently as a native, can spitfire an off-the-cuff joke without pause and is the prototypical American success story.
Pinheiro arrived in the Bay Area from Portugal as a teenager after his father died. The family lived with an aunt who had already immigrated to the U.S. and lived in Pacific Grove.
“My mom found work in Gilroy, and that’s how I came to Gilroy,” Pinheiro said.
Drive down First Street and you will catch a glimpse of the life Pinheiro has made for himself with his insurance and travel agency.
But that’s just a glimpse. Pinheiro, a former Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, is serving his fifth year on City Council, has been on the Planning Commission and is a director on the Bonfante Gardens Theme Park board.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not keep statistics on Portuguese. Pinheiro, a past president of the I.F.D.E.S. (Portuguese Hall), estimates there are 200 to 300 Portuguese families in Gilroy and about 350,000 Portuguese living in the Bay Area.
Many of the Portuguese came to the Bay Area in the late 1800s to farm, raise cattle and fish. According to Pinheiro’s research, which is documented in a book called “The Holy Ghost Festas,” records indicate Portuguese were celebrating cultural events as far back as 1904. Other records indicate that one event was celebrated in 1902.
Culture abounds
Perhaps no other ethnic tradition has entered the American mainstream like St. Patrick’s Day. However, in Gilroy, encountering other ethnic festivities, such as a Mexican quinceañera celebration, is much easier than finding a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The quinceañera tradition is the Hispanic equivalent of a coming of age party for young women. When a girl turns 15, a special party is held where the young woman is treated, and dressed, like a bride at a wedding.
The Portuguese have several celebrations throughout the year. Perhaps the largest is The Holy Ghost festival. In fact, it’s Portuguese name, ”Irmandade da Festa do Divino Espirito Santo,” is the wording that makes up the acronym for the Portuguese Hall.
The celebration has roots in the 13th century, when canonized saint Queen Isabella of drought- and famine-plagued Portugal – asked all churches to make a novena (a nine-day devotion of prayers) to the Holy Spirit, also called the Holy Ghost.
On the last day of prayer, a ship filled with wheat and corn sailed into Lisbon harbor to make repairs after a storm at sea. Rain fell and the queen felt the hand of divine intervention, so she led a procession to the church and after celebrating Mass, she held a banquet to feed the poor.
Today, Portuguese recapture the event with a procession that starts at their hall and ends at St. Mary’s parish – at the corner of, where else, Monterey and First streets. It is led by a young woman who is crowned queen and is capped off by a meal in which “sopas” is served. Sopas is a beef soup spooned over French bread and topped with mint sprigs.
In 1983, perhaps the most dramatic display of ethnic presence took place in Gilroy. That was the year the I.F.D.E.S. board of directors brought bullfighting to Gilroy. Matadors from Portugal and Mexico came to town and fought bulls within a portable bull ring. The ring was erected on a vacant lot on First Street, of course.
Although Vietnamese traditions are still easier to find in San Jose, Filipino celebrations are becoming more commonplace here. The biggest one is Fiesta de Santo Niño, the Feast of the Holy Child. Sandow said it dates back to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines (when referring to the country, the letters P and H are used instead of the letter F).
After Spaniards burned an entire village in the Philippines, an image of the baby Jesus remained unscathed. Today, the event is celebrated at St. Mary’s church, with a procession of dancing children who hold baby Jesus figurines.
“The tradition is to dance to beating drums, but we’re still working on that,” Sandow said. ”Maybe next year.”
Perhaps the truest sign of an ethnic group’s long-term presence is not by the number of cultural events it holds, but by the amount of just plain social events the group has.
Today, Portuguese Hall hosts cioppino (tomato and fish soup) fund raisers. The Phil-Am club is planning a trip to Reno. And Japanese hold Buddhist services regularly at Japanese Community Hall on Alexander Street, near the auto mall.
The assimilation of cultures is alive and well in Gilroy. If you’re ever in doubt, just drive down Monterey, head west toward Hecker Pass and take a look around.
