For me, there are few things more delicious than in-season Heirloom Tomatoes. When Ariane Duarte, owner and chef of CulinAriane, lends her Midas touch to these lutein packing beauties, their flavor exceeds even my palate's expectations - - it's gold.

Ariane and her husband, Michael, a fellow Culinary Institute of America graduate, and pastry chef, opened CulinAriane, initially as kitchen space for their catering business. The restaurant was very much secondary, with only ten small tables. Soon, however, popularity began to grow and CulinAriane became one of the stars of the Baristaville dining scene. Then Top Chef came calling and the rest was culinary (and reality tv) history.