A cheesy herb and tomato tart was the grand prize winner in the first "You Say Tomato" recipe contest sponsored by Hamakua Springs Country Farms. Candace Ames, of Hilo, won both the first place in the entree category and the overall prize with that recipe. Other winners were: in condiments and preserves, Suzie Littlejohn, of Kea'au, for her tomato chutney; in salads, Leonora Tsukayama, of Hilo, for crunchy lomi salad.

Find the winning recipes at www.hamakuasprings.com/recipes.htm.

— Wanda Adams

ARRIVEDERCI!

CHINATOWN SOMMELIER WINS A TRIP

Some guys are just plain lucky. Jason Castle ("Cass," as he is known throughout Chinatown), sommelier for Du Vin, Indigo and Bar 35, must be one of those guys. He recently won an expense-paid trip to Italy with the editor and publisher of Wine and Spirits magazine. The 28-year-old, who has never been to Europe and had to rush his passport through, is attending the Vin Italy Wine Conference in Verona, then visiting Venice and exploring the wineries of Piedmont.

How did he do it? He simply filled out the magazine's annual survey of sommeliers and sent it in. His survey was picked at random. Ciao!

— Paula Rath