Press Releases

Carmel, Calif. - August 22, 2005 - Gary Ibsen, Founder and Director of the Carmel TomatoFest® announced the winners of the amateur and professional tomato recipe contest held July 24 at the Culinary Center of Monterey.

The competition was broken into two segments, one for amateurs and one for professionals in seven categories: appetizers, soups, beverages, entrees, desserts, salads and condiments. Each recipe contained a product from one of the TomatoFest® sponsors which include, Aidells Sausage Co., Casa Sanchez, Challenge Dairy, Coeur D'Olives, Columbus Salame Co., Consorzio, DeCecco Pasta, Creative Salmon, Mills Family Farms, Green Mountain Gringo, McCormick, Monterey Gourmet Foods, California Tomato Commission, Mozzarella Fresca, Skipstone Ranch, Terra Sonoma and Whole Foods Market. Other sponsors included Sunset Magazine, The Culinary Center of Monterey, Viking Range and U.S. Food Service. All entries were judged on appearance, creative use, and of course, taste.

A judging panel of celebrated chefs tasted each finalist's culinary creation and selected the winner from all seven categories. First and second place entries were selected, and from those, a grand prize winner was chosen.

The winners in each category were:

Professional
Grand Prize
Recipe: Heirloom Tomato "B.L.T." Soup
Winner: Jerry Regester, Executive Sous Chef, The Lodge at Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach,  CA
Award: $5,000 cash

Second Place
Recipe: Heirloom Tomato - Pays Basque Grilled Cheese
Winner: Christophe Grosjean, Chef d'Cuisine, Marinus - Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley, CA
Award: Professional Gourmet Gift Basket of sponsor products, including a Viking 5 quart Stand Mixer and a deluxe spice rack from McCormick.  Value $2,000.

Amateur
Grand Prize
Recipe: Sweet Tomato Pie in Nutmeg Crust
Winner: Diane Sparrow, Osage, IA
Award: A four-day vacation to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, including airfare and VIP tickets to Gary Ibsen's 14th Annual Carmel TomatoFest®

Second Place
Recipe: Zebra Stripe Tomato Gelee Shooters
Winner: Erin Horton, Denver CO
Award: A prize package valued at $1,000 including a Viking appliance and deluxe spice rack from McCormick, and products from each of our recipe contest sponsors. 

Tomato Lover's Choice Award  (Including Professionals and Amateurs)
Recipe: Marvel Striped Tomato & Verjus Sorbet
Winner: Colin Moody, Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA
Award: A prize package valued at $2,000.  Including a $500 gift certificate from Whole Foods Market, a five quart stand mixer from Viking and a deluxe spice rack from McCormick, to name a few.

Finalist Judges
* Bert Cutino, CEC, AAC, Sardine Factory, Monterey; Past President American
  Academy of Chefs
* Rick Edge, Executive Chef Club XIX, The Lodge at Pebble Beach
* Sara Schneider, Food Editor, Sunset Magazine
* Peter Pahk, Executive Chef, Silverado Resort, Napa
* Sean O'Brien, Executive Chef, Myth Restaurant, San Francisco
* Beat Giger, Director Special Events/ Corporate Chef, Pebble Beach Resorts
* Cal Stamenov, Executive Chef, Bernardus Resort and Quail Lodge Resort

Gary Ibsen's 14th annual Carmel TomatoFest® is being held on September 11, 2005 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, CA. General admission tickets to the event are $85. Special VIP/Hosted Entrance tickets are $150, and a Deluxe Package ticket including a dinner-dance on September 10 at Carmel Valley Ranch Resort is $220. Tickets may be purchased through the Website at www.tomatofest.com or by calling 1-800-965-4827. Net proceeds are donated to local youth charities. The event is a sellout every year, so interested persons are encouraged to buy their tickets early.

Gary Ibsen is an advocate of certified organic, sustainable farming and seed saving. He has grown heirloom tomatoes for more than 30 years and is currently growing more than 500 heirloom tomato varieties from seeds he has personally harvested. These seeds were originally sourced from family farms around the world. Tomato growers from Central California will also contribute to the selection of tomatoes showcased at the TomatoFest.