Tomatomania Tasting at Loteria

This morning was Tomatomania's tasting at Loteria Restaurant that I'd posted about earlier. It was a really great atmosphere!

Loteria had a great buffet sampler menu:

The Chef/Owner of Loteria introduced his staff.

Then the owner of Tomatomania gave a talk on different varieties and growing methods.

All the samples people brought in were labeled and set out for viewing as the event began, then chopped while the talk was given. After the talk, lines formed quickly for eating!

The ones I brought: Some Striped Cavern & Pineapple Hawaiian.

These are actually ones I brought, but they were mislabeled by the staff. They're Sun Cherry, I think.

My friend who accompanied me brought these beautiful Purple Russians:

Favorites that I've grown before were sampled at the event:

I thought I'd found my standards to grow each year, but surprisingly, this event did bring me a few new favorites, so I'm glad I attended. Ones I liked so much this time around that they're on my list for next year (I'd never tried them before):

Here are recipes from the event. Click on the images to enlarge them, and check out the blog at SippitySup.com.

Candied Tomatos with Basil Cookies & Honey Greek YougertBean and Tomato Cupcakes