In the Spanish town of Bunol, tomato season is celebrated each year with a giant, tomato-throwing brawl known as La Tomatina.
On the last Wednesday of August, participants pull on goggles and gloves and throw crushed tomatoes, leaving behind a river of juice.
At Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate in Santa Rosa, the height of tomato season is greeted each September with an equally enthusiastic, if a bit more sedate, celebration.
The difference is that the tomatoes at Kendall-Jackson's 16th annual Heirloom Tomato Festival this Saturday have been carefully nurtured and picked for optimal flavor.
Instead of sacrificing the fruit of its labors to a frenzied food fight, the winery delivers crates of perfectly ripe tomatoes to dozens of local chefs and caterers, who turn them into all kinds of tasty bites to be sampled at the festival.
The winery also holds an Heirloom Tomato Competition each year at the festival. In all, organizers estimate they will serve more than 9,000 pounds of heirloom tomatoes this weekend.
"The best part of the festival is getting a chance to taste all the different dishes from the chefs," said Justin Wangler, executive chef of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate. "And tomato fanatics can taste the different varieties of tomatoes."
Every year, the winery saves the seeds from the competition's prize-winning tomatoes, then plants them in the garden. This year, there will be 75 varieties of tomatoes, from Aunt Ruby's German Green to Mortgage Lifter.
In an effort to expand the festival, the winery has added a Celebrity Chef Dinner on Friday, hosted by Sonoma County's own Guy Fieri along with guest chef Mario Batali of New York. Fieri's foundation, Cooking With Kids, will benefit from the weekend.
Saturday's day-long smorgasbord of activities includes garden tours and workshops, wine seminars and cheese pairings, plus live Latin music by the Carlos Herrera Band.
New this year is the Sommelier Central, a tent where guests can ask wine educators and sommeliers all kinds of questions about wine.
And to appeal to competitive cooks, the festival has once again picked sizzling national talent for its annual Chef's Challenge. Contestants include Eli Kirshtein of Atlanta, from "Top Chef: Season 6," who will go mano-a-mano with Wangler at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. At 1 p.m., Ryan Scott, chef/owner of Market & Rye in San Francisco and veteran of "Top Chef: Season 4," will face off with Casey Thompson of Dallas, a veteran of "Top Chef: Season 3." The final round at 2:30 p.m. will decide the top toque.
Meanwhile, the 52 chefs and caterers serving up tasty tomato fare will compete for the coveted Critic's Choice and People's Choice awards.
Last year, Josh Silvers of Jackson's and Petite Syrah in Santa Rosa won both awards for his Flatbread with Heirloom Tomatoes, Walnut-Basil Pesto and Provolone. This year, Silvers will tweak the dish a bit, serving up a Flatbread with Cheese, Summer Vegetables and Bacon.
Bacon will also play a cameo role in Wangler's dish from Kendall-Jackson: A Southern-style pizza made on a crust of gluten-free cornbread, topped with heirloom tomato sauce, mozzarella, charred okra, cherry tomatoes and bacon.
If bacon isn't your bag, there will be plenty of other choices. Tony Ounpamornchai, chef/owner of Sea Thai Bistro in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, will serve a Thai-style Baby Squid Ceviche with Heirloom Tomatoes in Garlic, Chili, Cilantro, Peanut and Lime Vinaigrette.
Lucy and Michael Tamayo of the Sonoma Latina Grill in Novato will honor the tomato's Latin American roots with a Fire-Roasted Heirloom Tomato Salsa on an Heirloom Corn Tortilla with Grilled Chicken.
Tomatoes play a key role in the Provence region of France, where brothers Marc and Alain Pisan of Chloe's French Cafe in Santa Rosa grew up. Their parents ran a patisserie in the resort town of Saint-Tropez.
This year, Chloe's will be playing up the sweeter side of the tomato by serving it in a streusel pastry with apricot jam, said chef Ren? Pisan, Alain's wife.
Right now, Chloe's is also serving a savory Tarte Rustique, made with heirloom tomatoes, piperade and goat cheese on its menu. You can also find a Market Salad made with heirloom tomatoes, fresh figs, St. George cheese and toasted pepitas.
Local tomato grower Dan Magnuson of Soda Rock Farms in Geyserville has won the winery's tomato contest so many times that he is only allowed to judge the contest now.
Magnuson, who grows six acres of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, has been in full harvest swing since mid-August.
"We're having a good year," he said. "It was a really good spring, and there were no really high temperatures (to burn the plants)."
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: