Spain has the famed La Tomatina festival, New Orleans has the Creole Tomato Festival and Vancouver has its annual Tomato Festival at Provence Marinaside to celebrate the plump, juicy fruit.
August is peak tomato season in BC, a time when the vibrant, flavour-packed produce is primed for every plate. Fresh-picked from the vine, sliced into salads, squeezed for juice, roasted or sun-dried there’s a seemingly infinite number of ways to enjoy the taste of summer!
Provence Marinaside dedicated the month of August to all things tomato with its annual Tomato Festival – offering special three-course prix fixe menu ($69) that will tempt the tastebuds of tomato-connoisseurs. “The heirloom tomato is the ultimate summer flavor. They are the taste of the sun and remind me of long summer days when I was a child in Provence,” says Provence Marinaside’s Owner / Executive Chef Jean Francis Quaglia.
“Heirloom tomatoes have a more intense flavor profile,” says Chef de Cuisine Mohit Chauhan who worked with Chef Jean Francis to develop the Tomato Festival Menu. “We are fortunate have local producers such as Windset Farms (Delta) or Cropthorne Farm (Westham Island) for instance who supply us with amazing varieties. The heirlooms just taste so much better.”
The Tomato Festival prix fixe menu courses each offers an optional wine pairings thoughtfully selected by Assistant Wine Director Ryan Johnson. “Grapes and heirloom tomatoes share deep historical roots in Mediterranean agriculture. The red berry (strawberry, raspberry) and citrus undertones in classic Provençal rosé naturally mirror the sweet-tart, complex flavours of fresh summer heirloom tomatoes,” comments Johnson. The optional rose pairing is available for $59.
With more than 10,000 varieties from A to Z, you find vibrant heirloom tomatoes like Black Krim or Campari, Moneymaker and Green Zebra – so many to sink your teeth into on the menu of Provence’s annual Tomato Festival, August 1 – 31, 2026 at Provence Marinaside, 1177 Marinaside Crescent – at the foot of Davie Street, across from the Quayside Marina in Yaletown. Don’t miss live jazz, Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm.
Reservations for Provence Marinaside are available online or by calling the restaurant at (604) 681-4144.