Reigning Nutley Tomato Champion Tom Orlinski and Zucchini King Charles Adornetto Are Unstoppable

NUTLEY, NJ - Nutley held its annual Biggest Tomato and Zucchini Contest on Sunday, Aug. 18. Once again, returning champions Tom Orlinski and Zucchini King Charles Adornetto won the contest.

Orlinski might have broken a Nutley township record with his 3-pound, .08 ounce tomato. Previously, the largest tomato in Nutley was in 2018, grown by the late Domenick Scutti Jr. with his 2-pound, 8.7 ounce tomato. Scutti won at least five contests and his family won for him in 2022. Scutti died on April 26, 2022. There were no contests in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Although Adornetto won with a very large 8-pound zucchini, he did so by the skin of his teeth continuing his reign as “Zucchini King.” The second place zucchini weighed in at 7.9 pounds.

Last year, Orlinski won with a 2-pound tomato and Adornetto continued his reign with a 13-pound, 25 ounce zucchini, probably the largest in town. In 2016, Orlinski won with his 1-pound, 6.35-ounces yellow and red heirloom tomato.

Just like Orlinski and the late Scutti, Adornetto too has won quite a few Nutley largest zucchini contests, at least four. He has been titled the “Zucchini King.” in the township, a title he rightfully owns after growing that 13-pound, 25 ounce zucchini.

The year 2018, saw Nutley’s first woman to win the largest zucchini contest. Rose Vezzossi beat Adonetto with her zucchini weighing 6-pounds, 2.2 ounces.

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In 2017, resident James Toomi swooped in and won with his giant 9-pound, 6.05-ounce zucchini.

Each time asked about how the largest tomatoes and zucchinis were achieved, the green thumbed residents would not share their secrets. Advice was given at times, give it plenty of sun and water or don’t use chemicals. Most of these seem like common sense. The late Scutti said he saved his seeds each year from those award winning giant tomatoes. Maybe the secret isn’t a secret but practice.

According to Commissioner Joseph P. Scarpelli, due to popular demand there is a new contest added to the largest zucchini and tomato contest…the longest gagootz (cucuzza), an Italian summer squash. “We had new participants this year, it was great to see them,” he said.

This year’s winners won a Nutley Farmers market bag filled with produce and bread from the market vendors.

The Nutley Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday from mid-June through Oct. 27 in Downtown Nutley, Municipal Parking Lot 7 at 507 Franklin Ave. For more information on the market, visit nutleynj.org/FARMERSMARKET .

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