Bronze Winner, Independent Publisher Book Award, Best Cookbook

Received an Honourable Mention from the 2007 Cuisine Canada Award in the category of Canadian Food Culture

Named one of the best cookbooks of the year, by The Montreal Gazette

Today, increasing emphasis is being placed on the integrity of the way the food we eat is grown. We all dream about produce picked on a summer morning, making its way to our plates by noon. Christian Gaudreault, former owner of Vancouver's Tomato Fresh Food Cafe, has spent the last 15 years serving food straight from the farm with delicious results. Christian and his wife Star share their best-loved and most sought-after recipes; at the heart of the book is their simple philosophy: learn how to let farmers' fields and local markets determine your menus, and cooking at home can be fun and uncomplicated, as well as healthy. The beautiful yet deceptively simple recipes feature ingredients that are farm-fresh but widely available in every part of the country.

For Christian and Star, part of the meal-making experience is about acknowledging and knowing where your food comes from. It's also about the communal experience of eating, particularly at the Tomato, a casual, soul-enriching place where people from all walks of life shared the common bond of food.

The book features 32 full-colour photographs, as well as insightful sidebars on how to pick out the best produce and meats, essential products for the pantry, and of course, a history of the tomato, in all its juicy glory.

Recipes include: Crab Cakes with Peppercorn Aioli, Pan-Seared Scallops with Mushroom Risotto, Grilled Long-Bone Pork Chop with Pear Chutney, Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Salad, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Lemon Meringue Tart, and Peach Blueberry Galette.

Star Spilos was the co-owner of Vancouver's Tomato Fresh Food Cafe with her husband Christian Gaudreault. Her lifelong interest in food and in baking began by watching her mother create desserts. A graduate of the Dubrulle French Culinary School, Star received a Les Dames D'Escoffier scholarship to The Culinary Institue of America Â? Napa Valley.

Star Spilos' profile page

Star Spilos is the co-owner of Vancouver's Tomato Fresh Food Cafe with her husband Christian Gaudreault. Her lifelong interest in food and in baking began by watching her mother create desserts. A graduate of the Dubrulle French Culinary School, Star received a Les Dames D`Escoffier scholarship to The Culinary Institue of America — Napa Valley.

Christian Gaudreault's profile page

• Winner, Independent Publisher Award (BRONZE)
• Short-listed, Cuisine Canada Award

What a special treat to add the new Tomato Fresh Food Cafe cookbook to my collection. This tiny jewel of a restaurant has really captured the essence of cafe culture with these simple, fresh and easy to prepare recipes. Congratulations.
-John Bishop

...have produced a charming book of simple dishes, ideal for our summer growing season and for making winter food taste quite like summer, too.
-Montreal Gazette

Organic fresh and seasonal are trendy buzzword these days but Tomato's approach has always been to do more than talk the talk as the cookbook proves.
-Vancouver Courier

Flip it open to just about any page and you'll discover something easy to cook.... The book has loads of good information on how to distinguish different kinds of clams, greens, specialty tomatoes, and more.
-Where Vancouver

Background, travels, emphasis on good food, good talk, and good friends - it all comes through...
-The Georgia Straight

Having known Christian over the past twenty years, I've had the opportunity to witness his dedication, integrity, and inventiveness which have all been reflected in the success of the Tomato Cafe;. Readers and long-time customers will relish in this cooking book inspired by Christian and Star's most favourite and cherished recipes.
-Michel Jacob, Le Crocodile

The owners of Vancouver's beloved Tomato Fresh Food Cafe in Vancouver open the door to making food that's wholesome, simple and inventive.
-Canadian Living