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Gather Restaurant is one of eight Alabama food producers who are vying for top honors in Bama’s Best Tomato Dish Contest, according to a release.

Semi-finalists for the Bama’s Best Tomato Dish contest were selected through nominations received on Facebook May 2-18.

The semifinalists are:

• Walters’ Gas and Grill in Society Hill for Tomato Pie
• The Downtown Chief in Gadsden for Fried Green Tomato with Pimento Cheese and Pepper Jelly
• Wildflower Cafe in Mentone for Tomato Pie
• Claunch Cafe in Tuscumbia for Tomato Pie
• Walton’s Southern Table in Huntsville for Fried Green Tomatoes
• The Avenue Pub in Tuscaloosa for Conecuh + Pimento Green Tomatoes
• FDL Gourmet To Go in Montgomery for Heirloom Tomato Pie
• Gather Restaurant in Atmore for Train Wreck

Deemed the “Edible Eight,” one semi-finalist will be pitted against another in daily match-ups May 23-26 on Sweet Grown Alabama’s Facebook page and Instagram stories.

Votes from both platforms will be combined to determine daily winners, which will move into the Flavorful Four.

The matchup schedule includes:

• May 23 – Claunch Cafe in Tuscumbia vs. Walton’s Southern Table in Huntsville
• May 24 – Wildflower Cafe in Mentone vs. The Avenue Pub in Tuscaloosa
• May 25 – The Downtown Chief in Gadsden vs. FDL Gourmet To Go in Montgomery
• May 26 – Walters’ Gas and Grill in Society Hill vs. Gather Restaurant in Atmore

Judges will visit the Flavorful Four and announce a winner later this summer. Along with bragging rights, the winning restaurant will receive a plaque, cash prize, and features in Neighbors magazine and on Simply Southern TV.

Bama’s Best Tomato Dish is sponsored by Sweet Grown Alabama – whose members grow the freshest, best-tasting tomatoes, among numerous other products.

Sweet Grown Alabama is a nonprofit foundation that enhances marketing opportunities for Alabama farmers by connecting retailers and consumers to Alabama-grown foods and other agricultural products. Learn more at SweetGrownAlabama.org.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization with more than 340,000 member families. For more information, visit AlfaFarmers.org. 

Simply Southern TV is a production of the Alabama Farmers Federation with major support from Alabama Farmers Cooperative. For more information, visit SimplySouthernTV.net.