Can you believe it? The Tomato Art Fest is celebrating 10 on the 10th this year on Saturday, Aug. 10, in the Five Points neighborhood of East Nashville. Each year, this festival gets bigger and better, all in celebration of the great tomato. And once again, there’s an opportunity for you to show your love of the fruit of the Solanum lycopersicum plant by entering the tomato recipe contest, sponsored by the Nashville Farmers’ Market.
The theme for this year’s competition is bruschetta. Technically, bruschetta (brew-SKEH-tuh) is grilled bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil. A tomato salad is a popular topping for bruschetta, but those of us who’ve entered the contest before know that creativity counts (and creative license is allowed). Frankly, I’ve never had a bruschetta I didn’t like, but plopping tomatoes on some toast ain’t gonna win you a prize.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you to help win this contest, other than you better bring your best. Competition is fierce, and judges will be tasting up to 25 different recipes to choose a winner. I thought my toasted couscous and tomato salad was a winner two years ago, but it made little impression. Last year’s sandwich entry was a disaster; the tomato-mango salsa that I thought would set it apart ended up making for a soggy mess. I’ve already said too much. You’re on your own from here.
If you think you’re up for the challenge, you can find important details about the recipe contest on this page of the Tomato Art Fest website. But hurry — only the first 25 who email to enter will be accepted.
There are a number of other contests you can enter as well, including the Bloody Mary competition; haiku contest; littlest, biggest and/or ugliest tomatoes; and the Tomato King and Queen.
All the contests are listed here, so be sure to check them out (and note entry deadlines).
Other tasty events during the festival include the Tomato Brunch at Pour House (this Sunday), the Tomato Wine Dinner at Marché, the Tomato Wine Supper and the Community Gazpacho at Rumours East, the Giant Ice Cream Sundae Extravaganza at Pied Piper Creamery (at noon on the day of the festival, Aug. 10), and the Wet Burrito Contest at Nuvo Burrito (also on Saturday, Aug. 10).
As always, the festival will have a number of food vendors, food trucks, a beer garden and more. There will be live entertainment and lots of fun and activities for kids and pets, too. It’s truly a festival for everyone. In addition to the website, you can keep up with all the latest news via Facebook and Twitter.