Learning new ways to appreciate the artichoke at this year’s festival

The (artichoke) hearts of festival-goers seemed full as they left with plenty of recipe ideas for the region’s famous thistle after Saturday’s 65th annual Monterey County Artichoke Festival.

Held at the county fairgrounds on June 8-9, this year’s festival theme was “Where Fun Blossoms.” To establish the theme, people were welcomed with endless food trucks, many with artichoke-themed dishes, vendors, a farmers market, live music and live cooking demonstrations.

“The selection of food was why we came here. We wanted to see how artichokes are used in a variety of different ways and I think we’ve eaten ourselves to capacity in doing that,” said first-time attendee James Angelo.

“I’ve got a good culinary background, but watching the chefs showcase the artichokes in ways that I hadn’t thought of before was pretty cool,” said Angelo. After making his way to the wine tasting, Angelo said the festival and tasting had both lived up to his expectations.

Nick Stefanko, a sales representative for Quintessential Wines, was one of the many stops for people looking to enjoy both local and imported wines on Saturday.

The Vineyard Oasis, the festival’s wine tasting, saw a steady stream of festival-goers stopping by to taste test both local and imported wines. (Courtesy of Karzell McMillian)

Perhaps the most populated spot at the festival at any given time, Stefanko said there was a “good, constant stream of folks visiting all the booths here. My wines have been very popular, not to toot my own horn.”

Setting the tone for the wine tasting as the booth closest to the entrance, Stefanko served Quintessential Wines’ fruit-infused Moscato from Italy. “Given that we’re in the summertime, people want something light and easy to drink with low alcohol, so these have been perfect,” he said.

“We focus more on imports than local and I find that’s a very strong thing to bring to people because we all get stuck in our little wine boxes, living here in wine country, so it’s hard to look past that when it’s right in our backyard,” said Stefanko.

Katherine Parish, president of the Artichoke Festival, has had roots in the event since 1959, when her parents helped organize the first festival in Castroville.

As a non-profit organization, Parish says her favorite part of the festival is “giving back to the community after… particularly the children’s programs, the sports and arts.”

Parish spent time in the farmers market, which sold lettuce, cauliflower, grapes, kiwis, and of course, cases of artichokes. Heirloom and Taylor Farms donated all of the produce for the farmers market, according to Parish.

Volunteers ran the farmers market on Saturday, selling a variety of locally-grown produce. President of the Artichoke Festival Katherine Parish (far left) helped out in the market. (Andrea Valadez – Monterey Herald)

While she learns new artichoke-inspired recipes each year, Parish said her go-to is still steamed artichoke, as that was how her family indulged in the vegetable growing up.

Even when she moved away from Castroville after college, Parish would still come back each year to volunteer. When she retired, she decided to work with the festival full-time.

“When your parents are in it from the beginning, you get swept into the volunteering,” said Parish.

There was no shortage of appreciation for the region’s most popular thistle, as the campgrounds were stocked with various artichoke-themed snacks. “I had a really good marinated artichoke heart,” said Amy Aubuchon. After the festival she’s “planning on making an artichoke frittata.”

This was Aubuchon’s second festival, and she said things have changed since she was here six years ago. “This time, I actually think there’s more here. There’s definitely more vendors and food trucks than there were in 2018.”

While artichokes require a bit of work to prepare and get to the tasty part, according to Aubuchon, they are not hard to eat “if you know how to do it right.”

Sitting for a moment in the shade directly in front of the silent auction stand, there is surely a temptation to bid on an item.

“I do love those niners things,” said first time festival-goer Matt Lee.

“We were definitely intrigued by the signed Christian McCaffrey jerseys,” added Aubuchon.

Amy Aubuchon and Matt Lee standing in front of the silent auction, dawning their artichoke souvenir-crowns. (Andrea Valadez – Monterey Herald)

All of the money raised from the silent auction goes toward local charities, according to Stevie Godfryd, president of the Pacific Auction Company.

Items being auctioned off included artwork, home decor, a 49ers poster signed by Fred Warner and a pink guitar signed by Taylor Swift. Also being auctioned was a five-night stay in a private Tuscan residence with a starting bid of $3,500 and estimated value of $5,500 and a Los Cabos getaway starting at $1,750 with an estimated value of $3,500.

“Our business is 21 years old… the way we source art is real different from sports, jewelry, home decor and vacation packages. They all come from very different kinds of channels,” he said. “What you can rely on is that all of the signed collectibles are guaranteed authenticated. That’s really the key, is the authentication,” said Godfryd.

With the abundance of artichoke-infused snacks and souvenirs, one might question how well everything goes together. In Stefanko’s opinion, “what doesn’t go good with artichokes?”