Why: The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival is an annual reception celebrating the spectacular regional produce of the Mid-Atlantic by pairing top area farmers with leading area chefs with enthusiastic home gardeners and cooks with tomato tastings and wine pairings. Each year the event will showcase a “red” fruit and 2010 kicks off with the TOMATO.

Of Note: We are pleased to announce The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival is the home of SEEDS TO SCHOOLS, a landmark public drive that collects and redistributes seeds to schools and community gardens in our region that have a demonstrated commitment to engaging children with life science and nutrition. SEEDS TO SCHOOLS supports the teachers and public volunteers who share the wonder of planting, nurturing, harvesting and preparing one’s own food.

We have also partnered with Common Good City Farm, an urban farm and education center growing food for low-income residents in Washington, DC and providing educational opportunities for all people helping to increase food security, improve health, and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Recipe Contest

Mission: To highlight the region’s rich bounty of red fruits and help kick off our Seeds To Schools program inspired by the White House’s Chefs Move To Schools initiative. Seeds to Schools is designed to deliver much-needed seed packets directly to local school gardens while planting the ‘seeds’ to inspire the area’s youth to embrace a healthy nutrition, education, sustainability and creativity in the kitchen.

This Year’s Red Fruit:

Plump, juicy tomatoes. From sauces to salsas to tartes, this luscious red fruit is ripe for celebration.

How You Can Participate:

We’re hosting a tomato recipe contest open to food bloggers, home cooks, gardeners and tomato-enthusiasts. 15 of our Featured Home Chefs will be awarded prizes in 5 contest categories and have a top area chef cook their winning recipe. Festival attendees will get to enjoy 15 tomato-inspired dishes paired with wine on The Woodrow Wilson Plaza among Washington DC’s most storied monuments and rich history.

How It Works:
1. Create a recipe that includes locally-sourced tomatoes. Tomatoes must be procured from the Mid-Atlantic region (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia).

2. Submit your recipe, a picture of the tomatoe(s) used and a picture of the finished dish via email here: wineandfoodeventsdc@gmail.com no later than 5PM EST Monday, September 6th. Please make sure to identify the local resource for your tomatoes.

3. The Wine & Food Festival team of judges will select a total of 15 delicious, extra-creative and expertly-executed recipes based on Taste, Creative Use and Presentation to win in the following categories:

Soups, Salsas & Appetizers
Desserts & Quick Breads
Main Courses & Sandwiches
Beverages & Sauces
Salads

If your recipe is selected, your dish will be prepared at the Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival by a renowned Mid-Atlantic Chef.

4. The Wine & Food Festival team will award one Top Prize per category and recognize two Runner Ups per category. The team will also ask the festival attendees to vote for their favorite dish which will be awarded the festival’s Grand Prize during the event on September 24th.

5. Please note: if your recipe is selected to be demonstrated at The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival, you will be required to be present at the festival and available to meet with the media.

The International Wine and Food Festival team will announce the recipe contest winners no later than Monday, September 20th.