Monday afternoon (Presidents’ Day, also the last day of the Ag Fair) we will be open in our usual time and place: South Shore, 3-4:30pm!

Luca’s list: Loads of heirloom. slicer and cherry tomatoes, sweet salad mix, Italian basil, assorted hot peppers and seasoning peppers, broccoli greens, ginger and turmeric.

A group of chefs shopping for an annual benefit dinner on Sunday stopped by us (and the Ag Fair, and other local growers) on Saturday to source ingredients. We were blessed with an invitation to attend and sat next to VI Senator Myron Jackson, a long-time champion of art and agriculture in the territory and fellow alumnus of Parsons School of Design. The dinner benefitted The Women in Culinary Leadership Fund through the James Beard Foundation.

This year’s chefs included visitors Asha Gomez (Atlanta), Xavier Pacheco and Maria Mercedes-Grubbs (San Juan PR), and local chefs Lamar Bough, Julius Jackson, Ralph Motta, Emily Weston, Amanda Dougherty, Byron Harrigan and host Chef Digby Stridiron.

Asha’s Shiny Tomatoes

Chef Asha Gomez is well known in Atlanta for her award winning restaurant Cardamom Hill. She stopped by the farm to pick up tomatoes for her wine pairing dish of old wife (queen trigger) fish and yucca, and we were looking forward to seeing what she would do with the small heirlooms she selected. When she presented her dish at the dinner, she explained, “The tomatoes were so sweet and flavorful that I did not have the heart to cook them.” They were simply served on a tray, sliced in half with a slightly sweet dressing.

3 lb. ripe small heirloom tomatoes

3 Tbspn extra virgin olive oil

5 Tbspn local honey

2 stems basil flowers

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tsp cumin seed

Gently wash and drain the tomatoes but do not remove the stems. Slice them in half over a rimmed tray or serving dish, catching all juices in the tray. Use a sharp knife so the stems can remain.

Strip the basil flowers off the stem.

Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, honey, and sprinkle with cumin seed, basil flowers, salt and pepper. Toss and let it sit covered at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Toss again before serving.