About Our Tomato Casual Team

We’ve assembled an expert team to help you grow better tomatoes, discover new ways to cook and enjoy tomatoes, and keep you in the know on all things tomato.

Thomas Cenci

I am a chef from London, England, who after working many years within the food industry and gaining experience in some of Europe’s best establishments, has now decided to try his hand at food writing, and give something back to the wonderful society of food we live in.

You see, I firmly believe anyone can learn the art of cookery and I want that dream to come true. Such is my passion for food, is that I just want to share my knowledge and experiences with other food lovers, and what better way to share my favorite recipes and culinary creations with you, than at a place that’s about my favorite ingredient, the tomato.

I will be posting tomato recipe, after tomato recipe, and if there’s a tomato related recipe you can’t find, then just ask, and I will do my best to find it for you.

You will also be able to find me helping other foodies at my website Cooking Rosemary where I’m usually busy answering questions on cooking techniques and recipes, or posting articles all about food.

Michelle Fabio

“Ciao!” from sunny southern Italy, a tomato lover’s paradise.

I’m Michelle Fabio, a freelance writer, translator, part-time attorney, and amateur cook with a true passion for what we here call the “pomodoro,” or golden apple.

When I’m not occupied with those pursuits, you’ll probably find me at my blog, Bleeding Espresso, where I write about life and love in Calabria (the toe of Italy’s boot), my writing career, recipes, and my trilingual dogs, Luna and Stella.

I was raised in the United States with my Italian-American grandmother, and tomatoes were a part of our daily life, something that brought us together as a family.

When I think of tomatoes, I think of the rich smell of sauce (gravy!) cooking on the stove for hours, the tired, content feeling as I stared at jars and jars and jars full of canned tomatoes for the winter, the deep red color of sliced tomatoes ready to top everything from macaroni and cheese to a salami-and-fresh-Italian-bread sandwich, and, of course, the utter joy of harvesting my first, all-grown-by-me, perfect tomato.

My love for the tomato runs deep—it has given me so much over the years, and I’m ready to return the favor by extolling its virtues to all who will listen, er, read here at Tomato Casual.

Kira Hamman

On certain days of the week, I am a small-time farmer, raising vegetables (including lots of tomatoes, of course), sheep, chickens, honeybees, and the occasional duck or rabbit on my 3-acre farm in Washington County, Maryland. On other days, I am a mathematics professor at a local college. And on all days, I write, cook, read, and play with my two young children. You can read about that last at my blog, The Yellow Bus.

Michael Nolan

As both a freelance writer and a voracious gardener, I am proud to be part of the Tomato Casual team. As a southern gentleman, I was raised to appreciate the tomato in a variety of forms, from the simple and basic slices to the battered fried green tomatoes that made the movie famous and introduced the world to a whole new way to eat.

I have had a passion for tomatoes since I was a child. My mother used to tell stories about how I would give up ice cream for a bowl of sliced tomatoes with salt & pepper. These days I’m in my mid thirties and I still eat them like there is no tomorrow, though now I have moved on to sea salt and cayenne. My particular passion is for heirloom varieties because of their rich history and misunderstood appearance.

I am far from a typical man in his mid-thirties. I write and work a great deal on my plants outdoors when the weather agrees with me. I have an extreme interest in frugality and simple living, largely because I feel a spiritual connection with the Earth. There is no more profound experience for me than to spend time with my hands in the dirt, nurturing seeds into seedlings and seedlings into plants that then return the favor by nourishing me.

I believe that there are less expensive and often entirely free ways of doing things, and I feel that it is my responsibility to find them and share the information with others. One good example of this is my penchant for seed collecting and saving. Every year I take great care to collect seeds from my vegetable plants – especially the heirlooms – and I store and label them so that I will be able to sow new crops the following year without spending the first penny on seeds or seedlings.

In my spare time I am entertained by the zoo that is my household, most notably my three dogs, Duncan, Maia and Chi Chi, and a cat named Chance as well as tons of birds, squirrels and the occasional field mouse that come for a visit. You can visit me at my blog, Everyday University.

Vanessa Richins

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t gardening. I grew up in one of the blessed lands - Southern California. How I miss the wonder of year round gardening!

College led me to Utah. After starting out as a microbiology major, my love of all things green won out. I earned a Bachelors in Horticulture, with an emphasis on Landscape and Urban Horticulture. I’ve worked at a nursery, on a grounds crew, for a water conservation demo garden, and I currently teach garden classes for community education. I’m also getting my Master Gardener certification for fun.

One of the best smells on earth is the tangy goodness of tomato plants. At the water conservation garden, my favorite breakfast was to just sit among the tomato plants and munch away. I drool over the glossy pictures in seed catalogs. And as food….heaven! If I could only have one “vegetable” (of course, it’s really a berry!), it would be the tomato, hands down. Whether sliced onto a hamburger or simmered for hours for sauce, it is pure decadence.

I am maintaining three different plots just to make sure I have room for a garden devoted to heirloom tomatoes. This year alone I will be experimenting with at least 22 different kinds in all shapes, sizes and colors. Watch for reviews of these beauties and other subjects hailing the glory of tomatoes.. I am so excited for this opportunity to write for Tomato Casual!

Reggie Solomon (a.k.a., “reggieCasual”)

I adore tomatoes.

In fact, I love tomatoes so much I decided to create Tomato Casual so I could connect with other people around the world who are passionate about this juicy fruit.

When I’m not serving as the editor of Tomato Casual, you’ll find me writing about my other two passions – urban gardening and wine.

With tomatoes as with gardening, we keep it easy; we keep it casual.