Chef Demos & Lectures
2026 Chefs & Lecturers
Come hungry—and curious. The 2026 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival brings together celebrated chefs, dedicated growers, wellness educators, and local artists for two days of lively demonstrations and practical talks. Learn the secrets of award-winning backyard garlic, discover new ways to build bold flavor, see intricate pumpkin carving in action, and meet the people whose creativity and community spirit make the festival memorable.
Chef Kizzy Williams
Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen • Saturday 12:00 PM and Sunday 1:15 PM
A celebrated chef, entrepreneur, and community leader, Kizzy Williams brings the flavors and hospitality of Southern cooking to New York’s Capital Region. Raised in East Harlem and trained in hospitality and culinary arts at Monroe College, she founded Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen in Albany in 2014 to share the family recipes she learned from her mother. Williams has appeared on Food Network’s Chef Boot Camp, was named a 2025 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction, and has built a far-reaching community mission through food access, education, and neighborhood investment. At HVGF, she’ll turn the spotlight on a crowd favorite: garlic macaroni and cheese.
Chef David Trotta
Whealth Kitchen / Afternoon Acres • Sunday 3:15 PM
Chef, farmer, and community builder David Trotta is the founder of Whealth Kitchen, a Jersey City venture that grew from a home pop-up into a café, bakery, catering company, and meal-delivery service. His cooking is rooted in locally sourced ingredients, updated family recipes, and a close connection to the farms that supply his kitchen—including his own Hudson Valley and Catskills growing projects. Trotta’s “get-and-give” approach has paired food entrepreneurship with food access, including tens of thousands of donated meals. His HVGF demonstration brings that farm-to-table philosophy to sourdough topped with Black Dirt garlic, sautéed wild greens, ricotta, and pesto.
Tony Sarmiento
“The Garlic Guru” • Saturday 1:00 PM and Sunday 12:15 PM
Tony Sarmiento has grown garlic, tomatoes, and other vegetables in his compact Silver Spring, Maryland, backyard for more than three decades. The Washington Post dubbed him a “garlic guru” after visiting the garden where he puts practical growing knowledge to work; his hardneck garlic has won blue ribbons at both the Maryland State Fair and the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. A board member of the Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming, Sarmiento also helps lead community garlic planting and harvest events. His HVGF talk distills that award-winning experience into useful advice for growing great garlic at home.
Elizabeth McClain
The Pumpkin Bumpkin • Multiple demonstrations Saturday and Sunday
Hudson Valley artist Elizabeth McClain—also known as The Pumpkin Bumpkin—turns locally grown pumpkins into intricate, temporary works of art. A professional graphic designer with a background in printmaking, she specializes in surface etching that transforms familiar gourds into polished portraits, illustrative scenes, iconic artworks, and typographic designs. Her broader design work has appeared in theme parks, museums, and major events, while her pumpkin carving keeps her connected to farms, markets, businesses, and community celebrations throughout the region. Visitors can watch her process up close during a series of live demonstrations outside the Chef/Lecture Tent.
Jamillah EJ Bey
Health and wellness educator • Saturday 3:15 PM and Sunday 10:30 AM
Jamillah EJ Bey is a health and wellness educator, artist, consultant, and lifelong learner whose teaching style centers personal experience, curiosity, and audience participation. Her wide-ranging interests connect everyday practices with holistic well-being, and she approaches education as a conversation that helps people consider what is useful in their own lives. At HVGF, Bey leads a roundtable on garlic as both a kitchen staple and a traditional medicinal ingredient, inviting
Chef Sarah Thornton
The Adventurous Home Cook • Saturday and Sunday 2:15 PM
Sarah Thornton is an adventurous home cook who believes healthy food should be satisfying, flavorful, and grounded in whole ingredients. Her approach grew from years as a college student-athlete and later a professional athlete, when long training days demanded meals that were nourishing, practical, and exciting enough to look forward to. Over the past 15 years, she has developed a style that balances ease and nutrition with inspiration from cultures and cuisines around the world. At HVGF, Thornton will demonstrate whipped toum, the bold, creamy, naturally vegan garlic sauce beloved across the Levant.