“You like to-may-to and I like to-mah-to,” wrote George and Ira Gershwin in the 1937 song “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

No matter the right way to pronounce tomato, they are a huge summertime favorite in Alabama. On July 18, the Birmingham chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) is partnering with The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham and Stone Hollow Farmstead in Harpersville to celebrate Alabama tomatoes. The celebration includes a recipe contest, tastings, talks by a leading tomato breeder, the Alabama Tomato Festival and a farm dinner.

LDEI includes chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, caterers, farmers, food retailers, event planners, cookbook authors, food journalists, culinary educators and more.

“LDEI’s mission is education, advocacy, mentoring and philanthropy,” said Chapter President Angela Schmidt in a news release. “We see this tomato celebration as an excellent and tasty way to advocate for local growers, markets and home cooks while educating the public about culinary traditions involving tomatoes.”

The Great Alabama Tomato Contest kicks things off at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 18 at Pepper Place Market. The public is invited to submit recipes in three categories: appetizers and salads, main courses, and desserts. Recipes must use fresh, Alabama-grown tomatoes. Judges will rate entries on appearance and presentation, flavor, texture and creative use of tomatoes.

Recipes must be submitted by noon, Saturday, July 4. Finalists will be notified by Friday, July 10, and they will compete on stage at the Chef Demo area. Registration forms to submit recipes are available at the market information tent every Saturday through July 4 and the market’s website.

Carole Griffin, owner of Chez Lulu and the Continental Bakery, food writer Jo Ellen O’Hara; and Cullman County farmer Lawrence Calvert will judge the contest.

Tom Wagner, president of Wagner Seeds and a respected tomato breeder (he developed the Green Zebra) and Deborah Stone of Stone Hollow Farmstead will talk about different varieties of tomatoes, efforts to breed heirloom tomatoes resistant to disease, and the importance of preserving the culinary heritage of tomatoes.

The tomato celebration shifts to Stone Hollow Farmstead from 1 to 5 p.m. for the Alabama Tomato Festival, which costs $20 per person. A farm dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 and a portion of the proceeds from the dinner and festival will provide seed money for a farmers’ fund.