Everybody's Business

Tomatoes almost take the cake at marketplace festival.
You've heard the expression "apples and oranges," but how about "tomatoes and cake?"

One would think the differences between that strange fruit and sweet confection would be obvious, but officials of the 16th annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest weren't taking any chances last Friday.

The contest was part of the annual Massachusetts Marketplace Festival, a two-day outdoor exhibition of locally produced food and horticultural products held at Elm Band Reservation in Dover. The event was sponsored by the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

Prior to judging slicing, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, a celebrity panel of food writers and aficionados exercised their palettes with a spread of coffee and cake.

A particular favorite was a creation provided by Bruce Mills, owner of Boston-based My Grandma's Coffee Cakes.

Problem was, the cake was displayed perilously close to the tomatoes in question.

Upon spying the setup, contest coordinator Nat Arena quickly removed the goodies from the tomato table.

His fear, Arena told a judge: "It might interfere with the tomato contest. It might win first place."