Tim Stark: Tomato Farmer to the Chefs

If you want to find the Eckerton Hill Farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, just look for the white jackets.

New York City chefs flock to the farmer Tim Stark for the juiciest, tastiest, rarest heirloom tomatoes around. Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, Jean-Georges Vongerichten,  Danny Meyer, Dave Pasternak, and Bill Telepan all get box after box of tangy Green Zebras, smokey Black Krims, and luscious Brandywines from this local tomato man.  Daniel Boloud gets oxheart tomatoes—the coeur de bouef he loves so much from France—grown specifically for him. 

It’s symbiotic: the chefs look to Stark to grow new varieties of tomatoes to keep their menus fresh and interesting, and it’s the chefs that have helped launch and keep Stark’s career growing: “When we had a lot of tomatoes the chefs put a lot of tomato dishes on their menus, very generously for us,” says Stark.  “Without them we couldn’t have built this farm up into what it is.”

Tim Stark became a farmer 15 years ago. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, he was living as a struggling writer and consultant in New York City until a fateful day in 1996 when he started growing tomato seedlings in his Brooklyn brownstone. When the seedlings (all 3,000 of them) starting outgrowing the apartment, he knew it was time to move back to the country.

With mixed feelings, Stark returned to Pennsylvania to follow in his father’s footsteps, and now farms on three separate properties outside of Allentown. From water shortages to sandy soil, he has faced every agricultural nightmare, but he thinks that some of what’s wrong with his land is what makes his tomatoes taste so good.

Today Stark grows over 100 varieties of top notch tomatoes, from the more familiar varieties—Beefsteak, Roma, Sungolds—to the oddballs—Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifters, Green Giants, and Kelsie’s Yellow Romas.

Some are boldly colored or beautifully striped; others, funny looking with splits and cracks.  From the tiniest cherries to the monsters that can weigh three pounds, each tomato variety has a unique flavor profile, from the earthy smoke of the Black Krim, to the fruity brightness of the Striped German.

Stark’s tomatoes have become a brand unto themselves, called out by name on restaurant menus. At Per Se, the Cepe Custard is made with “Eckerton Hill Farm’s Tomatoes, Nasturtium Capers and Mizuna. “ At Café Boulud, it’s “Eckerton Farm Tomato Gazpacho with prosciutto grissini, avocado english cucumber, basil”—the tomatoes are the only ingredient whose source is named. 

Tim’s favorite way to eat his tomatoes?  On bread with a bit of mayo or slice of cheese. As he says, he leaves it to the chefs to do all the fancy stuff.

We’re with Tim— when it comes to a fresh heirloom tomato, the simpler, the better.  We prefer our tomatoes raw, or slightly cooked, at the most. Our favorite ways to eat ‘em: tossed with mozzarella and basil for a Caprese Salad,  or chopped up with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, and basil ribbons for a basic tomato salad.

Heirlooms ripen very quickly, and can rapidly get soft and oozy, which makes them perfect for a no cook pasta sauce. Chop them up, and, making sure to capture all the juices, toss with olive oil, feta, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. You’ll be addicted. 

What’s your favorite way to eat heirloom tomatoes?