Welcome to the Perth Tomato Festival
Relish the sweet taste of fresh and flavoursome local tomatoes
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Rediscover your love of fresh tomatoes
Join us at the inaugural Perth Tomato Festival to celebrate the sweet, juicy taste of locally-grown, field-ripened tomatoes.
Held alongside the regular Serpentine Jarrahdale Farmers’ Market, the festival features tomato-themed stalls, talks and demonstrations designed to tempt your tastebuds and inspire you to create your own tasty tomato treats.
In association with the Murdoch Community Garden.
Taste and buy a wide range of local heirloom tomatoes
Hear from experts in horticulture, nutrition and food science
Watch chefs cook up delicious dishes that hero the humble tomato
Your $22 ticket includes a bag of fresh tomatoes, a tasting plate and entry to an expert session.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this is a ticketed event with limited numbers – grab your ticket now so you don’t miss out.
Prizes to be won!
The Perth Tomato Festival on 6PR
Faces of the festival
Mark Woodcock, chef, apiarist and farmer
The culinary program at the festival is headed by renowned WA chef Mark Woodcock, who is also an apiarist and local farmer. After learning his trade at The Loose Box, Mark staged at Michelin-star establishments in Europe, and headed up food and beverage for Asia’s giant Genting group Dream Cruise Lines before returning to WA.
David Doepel, biochemist and farmer
Remember when tomatoes tasted like tomatoes? David Doepel does. And he’s on a mission to bring back the flavour. Not only is David the brains behind the Perth Tomato Festival, but he is a celebrated local grower of heirloom tomato varieties. Sample his fresh, field-ripened tomatoes at the festival.
Get your tickets now
If you relish the thought of discovering the rich traditions of growing, preparing and enjoying tomatoes, then don’t miss the Perth Tomato Festival.
Workshops
| 8:30 | Growing the perfect tomato – hints and demos from a professional grower and a community gardener (Valle Verde Orchard, Jarrahdale + Murdoch Community Garden) |
| 9:00 | Inaugural meeting of the real tomato club (how the tomato conquered the world) |
| 9:30 |
Tomato tasting competition – Judging with the Honourable Alannah MacTiernan MLC |
| 10:00 | Liking lycopenes, tomatoes don’t just taste good they are good for you – Food Science in action – Murdoch University |
| 10:30 |
Tasty Tomato Competition – Award Ceremony with the Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia and the Honourable Alannah MacTiernan, MLC. |
| 11:00 | Prize winning Pizza and Pasta sauce watch one, do one, and maybe win |
| 11:30 |
The consummate consommé and grand gazpacho (Chef Mark Woodcock) |
| 12:00 |
General Q&A – horticulture, nutrition and culinary |
Our Story
SJ Food and Farm Alliance is all about bringing back to life the agricultural and food heritage of our Shire. Our long-held ambition to bring local produce directly to the community has been fulfilled through the creation and successful running of a weekly SJ Farmers’ Market at the SJ Community Resource Centre. Now, we are delighted to host this terrific opportunity to share in one of the most famous foods produced in our Shire.
Remember when tomatoes used to taste like tomatoes?
David Doepel does. And he’s on a mission to bring back the flavour. He’s the brains behind next month’s Perth Tomato Festival to be held in Mundijong and hosted by the Serpentine Jarrahdale Farmers’ Market.
The biochemist and entrepreneur-turned farmer is passionate about tomatoes but laments the absence of flavour in the perfectly shaped and uniformly coloured supermarket tomatoes. “We’ve lost our way with tomatoes. If you closed your eyes and ate one, you wouldn’t know it’s a tomato.”
He has been putting his money where his taste buds are by growing a range of heirloom tomato varieties at a 22-hectare orchard at Karrakup.
Given that 2021 is the UN International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, Doepel reckons it’s ripe for WA to restore the status of the humble tomato with its own festival. The event will showcase locally-grown, field-ripened produce. At the festival you will be able to taste and buy local tomatoes of every variety, hear talks from experts in horticulture, nutrition and food science, and see chefs cooking up delicious tomato dishes.
The culinary program at the festival is headed by renowned WA chef Mark Woodcock, who is also an apiarist and local farmer. After learning his trade at The Loose Box, Woodcock staged at Michelin-star establishments in Europe, and headed up food and beverage for Asia’s giant Genting group Dream Cruise Lines before returning to WA.
The festival will run alongside the usual Saturday farmers’ market by adding tomato-themed stalls, where you can immerse yourself in the rich traditions of tomato growing, preparing and enjoying.
The $20 entry ticket gets you a bag of tomatoes, a tasting plate and priority entry to one expert talk/demonstration.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the only throwing of tomatoes will be by the chef into the pan in the food demo. No food waste here!
BOOTHS
Limited Space available for tomato related booths (food, horticulture).
Email [email protected] or
Call 0418912287