Top Chefs and Tomatoes: Shots from 2009 Kendall-Jackson Tomato Fest

Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Hardy Wallace in Gallery, Video

I had the chance to hang out and participate in this weekend’s 2009 Kendall-Jackson Tomato Festival.  With  about 50 restaurants and food purveyors, 170 varieties of heirloom tomatoes (all grown on the Kendall-Jackson farm), live bands, and a couple of thousand wine and tomato loving people- it was a day for serious revelry!

IMG_4173Along with music, ‘maters, wine and gourmet food, a lot of the attendees were glued to the Food & Wine Magazine Chef’s Challenge.  An Iron-Chef like cooking competition (complete with super-secret ingredients) where celebrity chef’s cooked head to head for a panel of legendary judges.

Chef Sean O’brien, Chef Justin Wangler (KJ Exec Chef), Chef Jamie Lauren (Top Chef 5 Contestant), and Chef Hosea Rosenberg (Top Chef 5 Winner) all battled it out in friendly competition.  In the end, Chef Jamie Lauren delivered the goods and walked away with the hardware.

This was a ridiculously fun event-  Sunshine, tomatoes, wine, music, food, and great people.  Yeah… I could get used to this.

12 Responses to “Top Chefs and Tomatoes: Shots from 2009 Kendall-Jackson Tomato Fest”

  1. Linda Alimi

    13. Sep, 2009

    Wow! I’m getting tickets for next year.

    Reply to this comment

  2. Marcy

    13. Sep, 2009

    Hardy –
    You captured the spirit of the event!
    Great to hang with you this weekend.
    Marcy

    Reply to this comment

  3. heather

    14. Sep, 2009

    Right on. Good times.
    I’ll share my plate with you any day.
    Let’s talk harvest!

    Reply to this comment

  4. ZinfanGirl

    14. Sep, 2009

    That’s a heckuva lot of tomatoes! I love heirlooms, and would love to attend this event or something similar someday. Any thoughts on heirloom variety/wine pairings?

    Reply to this comment

  5. BC

    15. Sep, 2009

    Loved the pics of the golden, blush, and purple tables. My favorite this summer was an heirloom called Sunshine Gold -fabulous sliced thick with just a bit of olive on top. Was KJ recommending specific varietals with these ‘maters?

    Reply to this comment

    • Hardy Wallace

      15. Sep, 2009

      BC!

      Thanks for the visit! It was pretty amazing to see all of the tomatoes. I’ll have to comb the gardens for the Sunshine Gold!

      There were no specific pairing suggestions, but I was running around most of the day with either some Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or cool rosé. All were hitting the spot!

      Reply to this comment

  6. Bill Bartmann

    22. Sep, 2009

    I don’t know If I said it already but …Excellent site, keep up the good work. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, :)

    A definite great read..

    -Bill-Bartmann

    Reply to this comment

  7. Hardy Wallace

    22. Sep, 2009

    Bill,

    Thank you very much for the comment. I really appreciate it!

    Cheers!
    Hardy

    Reply to this comment

  8. Tony Brown

    24. Sep, 2009

    I don’t know If I said it already but …I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog. Thanks, :)

    A definite great read..Tony Brown

    Reply to this comment

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