February 5, 20163 min read

Homage to the humble tomato...

"You say tomato, we say passata!"

- Home Make It crew, 2015

~ Melbourne Tomato Festival 2016 ~

It's that time of year again when Melbournian's pay homage to the humble tomato thanks to the passion and vision of Guy Grossi, his family and the Melbournese Movement. The iconic Melbourne Tomato Festival, now in its second year and growing in popularity and magnitude, is quickly becoming one of Melbourne's most popular culturally driven foodie festivals.

The Melbourne Tomato Festival will be held on Sunday 21st February, 2106 at Edendale Farm in Eltham between 10am - 4pm.

The festival is a celebration of the humble tomato and the preservation of Italian food, traditions and customs and authentic cooking. The Melbourne Tomato Festival will play host to a gathering of local farmers selling their produce, celebrity chefs, guest speakers, agriculturalists, demonstrations, workshops, artisan food and wine, and entertainment. Be inspired by the man himself, Chef Guy Grossi in this cute little clip

Image: Guy Grossi and volunteers of the Melbourne Tomato Festival

Image: Passata making workshop in progress at the 2015 MTF

Image: Passata making workshop in progress at the 2015 MTF

The festival would not be complete without the hands on passata making workshops, and that's where the crew from Home Make It come in! We'll be running back to back passata making demonstrations all day long, so join in on all the fun and learn to make some authentic passata with us.

Image: Melbourne Tomato Festival crowd enjoying the atmosphere

This is a ticketed event only, until sold out, so don't miss out! The event was a sell out last year, so avoid disappointment and purchase your tickets online now!

~ Craft Day Out - Melbourne Food & Wine Festival ~

We are thrilled to be joining the collaborations of all collaborations at this years' Melbourne Food & Wine Festival for the Craft Day Out, it's happening at the newly established and unique artisan food and beverage venue, The Craft & Co at 390 Smith Street, Collingwood on Sunday 6th March, 2016.

The Craft & Co incorporates an onsite brewery, distillery, cured meats and cheese preparation rooms, training facility, retail and gift store, bottle shop, deli and cafe/restaurant. It's truly amazing to see all these things under the one roof, make sure you drop in to check it all out.

Image: The Craft & Co, 390 Smith Street, Collingwood

The Craft Day Out is a series of rotating appreciation and workshop sessions with some of Melbourne's best artisan producers including That's Amore Cheese, Archie Rose Distilling Co., Rob Dolan Wines & Winestock, The Meat Room and FB*PROPAK.

Come along for a unique culinary experience in cheese making, winemaking, sausage making, distilling and passata making. Members of the Home Make It team will be again facilitating the hands-on passata workshops. You'll also enjoy a shared table feast lunch comprising of freshly made produce by Head Chef, Dom Marzano.

Don't miss out on this fabulous event, limited spots available so book your tickets via the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival program ONLINE now!

~ Food & Beverage Courses ~

Our instore 2016 calendar for food & beverage workshops is action packed! Click on the images below for all the course dates, venues and details. Our workshops are hands on, fun and interactive. To participate in one of our great courses, all you need to is book your spot ONLINE or call our Clayton or Reservoir stores for assistance.

~ A new look and concept at our Clayton store ~

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank all our Clayton customers for their patience and support during our recent store closure over the Christmas period. Those who have returned to our store since its reopening last month will have noticed lots of changes already! But there's more to come, so watch this space! I would love to give away all the secrets of our new store, but you'll have to wait just a little bit longer. It'll be well worth it, I promise!

~ The Makers: A story of Food, Family and Foreigners ~

If you're inspired to try your hand at passata making this season and looking for a good recipe, we have included two very different methods in our very first book titled The Makers: a story of food family and foreigners. Whether you're into the raw method or the cooked method, you'll be inspired by the stories of the Gangi, D'Aquino and the Merrett family passata days. These families are friends of Home Make It and share their recipes, processes, tips and stories.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it all together! The Makers: a story of food family and foreigners makes a great addition to the kitchen library as well as the perfect gift for lovers of Italian foods and traditions. Copies available for purchase at our Reservoir and Clayton stores, ONLINE and at The Craft & Co.