Guy Grossi is big on tradition. The restaurateur upholds many of the customs maintained by his parents, who moved to Melbourne from Milan in 1960.
The Italian tradition of making passata, a tomato puree made from cooking and straining tomatoes, is his next culinary adventure.
The Grossi family, of renowned Melbourne restaurants Grossi Florentino, Ombra Salumi and Merchant, will host Melbourne’s first tomato festival at Farm Vigano, South Morang, next month.
Passata Day, as it’s called, brings families together to crush, boil and bottle the season’s harvest, all the while drinking wine, eating and laughing. The Grossis wanted to replicate this great family tradition at Farm Vigano, so the festival will include plenty of opportunities to cook, eat, drink and be merry.
Cooking demonstrations, talks, gardening tutorials and, of course, passata-making classes will be led by some of the city’s best chefs, including Karen Martini, Rosa Mitchell, Frank Camorra and maestro Guy Grossi.
Grossi’s sister, Elizabeth Grossi Rodriguez, says passata-making is a harvest celebration.
“It’s about culture but also about preserving the way we eat and how we prepare what we eat,” Ms Rodriguez said.
Farm Vigano was first owned and developed by restaurateur Mario Vigano and his artist wife, Maria Teresa. The Melbourne Tomato Festival is on Sunday, March 1, at Farm Vigano, 10 Bushman’s Way, South Morang.
Tickets – presale only and covering all events – are $25 for adults and $10 for children aged six-13, with children five and under admitted free. More details are at www.melbournetomatofestival.com.
