"It’s really amazing," Sonia Martinez told me.

She was sitting in her office, thumbing through 92 entries to our "You Say Tomato" tomato recipe contest. Ninety-two entries! We’re excited.

Recipes came in from as far away as Gainesville, Florida. (Unfortunately, our rules specify that entries must be from Hawai‘i residents—but thanks, Gainesville!)

Sonia told me she hopes these recipes teach us something exciting and different about cooking with tomatoes.

She’s sorting the recipes into categories right now. We are offering a grand prize, second prize and third prize in each of three categories—"Entrees," "Salads," and "Preserves & Condiments."

Once sorted, we will make copies of the recipes and a full set will go to each of our judges:

Sonia Martinez—food writer, columnist, cookbook author and cooking teacher

Randy Nunokawa—Non-credit Culinary Programs coordinator of the Hawai‘i Community College, Office of Continuing Education

Joan Namkoong—food writer, columnist and cookbook author

Audrey Wilson—food writer and columnist for the Hawai‘i Tribune Herald in Hilo

Each judge will rate each recipe on a point scale, and the top five recipes in each category will go on to the finals.

That means they will be turned over to Chef Allan Okuda and Chef Sandy Barr at the Hawai‘i Community College Food Services department in Hilo, whose students will actually prepare the top five recipes in each category for our full panel of judges to taste and rate.

We will announce the finalists here, as soon as we determine them and before their recipes are prepared by the HCC students, so stay tuned!

All 15 finalists will be invited to attend the March 12th final testing and judging, by the way. That event will be televised on Kama’aina Backroads, Oceanic Cable channel 16. We will announce the date and time later.

Two additional judges will also take part in that final taste-testing:

Rockne Freitas—Chancellor of Hawai‘i Community College

Marlene Hapai—University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents

Our three grand prize winners will also be invited to a tour of Hamakua Springs Country Farms, with roundtrip airfare to Hilo provided for Neighbor Island winners.

"I love the concept of using something grown here on this island," said Sonia, "and I get excited thinking that what we are doing this year could eventually turn into a big, yearly event, like the Tomato Festival in Carmel, California, or the one held every June at White Oaks Plantation in Baton Rouge."

We will keep you posted along the way, as the contest narrows to a close, so keep checking back!   —posted by Leslie Lang