Local teens who are growing and cooking with their own vegetables through the Teens 4 Good program received a visit July 21 from Georges Perrier, a renowned French chef, at Drexel's 11th Street Family Health Services.

Drexel's 11th Street Family Health Services has been connected with Teens 4 Good for over two years, but this is the first summer harvest at this garden, according to Jennifer Andia, health educator and outreach coordinator at 11th Street.

11th Street Family Health Services partnered with Diane Cornman-Levy, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements and founder of Teens 4 Good, and Jamie McKnight, director of Teens 4 Good, to make it all happen.

"We really felt that they had the gardening expertise and we had the nutrition expertise and the cooking, so we just thought it was a great partnership to really join forces and share our resources," Andia said.

Another Teens 4 Good garden is located at Eighth and Poplar streets.

"[The Teens 4 Good program] teaches them a lot of skills. It helps them manage the finances of the garden when they do the markets, the marketing, the farming … it teaches them a lot," Sait Lopez, a sophomore majoring in psychology and co-op student for 11th Street Family Health Services, said.

Perrier toured the 11th Street garden and explained to the teens how to care for the garden. He also demonstrated techniques for preparing and cooking some of the freshly-picked vegetables.

"I always say when you cook you have to have fun," Perrier said.

Andia added that Teens 4 Good is working on showing kids that they can eat healthy and cook at home.

"With kids and their diet our goal on a health standpoint is to have them be more mindful about eating better and cooking at home so that they are not only growing these, they are actually going to be using them in their own lives," she said.

During his tour of the grounds, Perrier commented on how impressed he was to see the garden.

"It's [the Teens 4 Good program and partnership with Drexel] wonderful. I think it's very special," Perrier said.

There is a scholarship in Perrier's name in the Culinary Arts department at Drexel, according to Chef Charles Ziccardi, program manager for Culinary Arts.

Perrier is the co-owner of the new Table 31 restaurant in the Comcast Center, as well as LeBec-Fin, Brasserie Perrier, Georges' in Wayne, Pa. and Mia in Atlantic City. He has taught classes for the Culinary Arts program and received an honorary doctorate degree at Drexel in 1991, according to a press release.

"Work, work, work and work harder," Perrier advised for those aspiring to become professional chefs.

COPYRIGHT 2007 The Philadelphia Inquirer

By: Daniel Rubin

Jul. 16--"You want the tour?" asks James Whitaker, 16, throwing his arm around my shoulder and leading me in search of that delicacy known as the North Philly onion.

He forms his fingers into a claw and drags the dark soil of a freshly dug bed, fishing out a long, milky white bulb.

"Here," he says, smiling. "Let me give it to you. You've earned it." This sort of media savvy they don't teach at Annenberg.

For two years, he's tilled this verdant half-acre, hard by the El tracks at Eighth and Poplar. Here, in the shadow of a punched-out factory, a dozen teens raise Japanese eggplants, squash, tomatoes (cherry, plum and jumbos) collard greens, Swiss chard, watermelons, corn, peppers (bell, banana and jalapeno), sunflowers, lavender, daisies, spearmint, blackberries, raspberries.

What they are really growing in their fenced-off garden is patience.

The teens spend their summers planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, watering and feeding a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers they've begun peddling at farmers markets and to local restaurants.

Slow food

At first, gardening was a hard sell to city kids raised on video games and TV dramas, says Diane Cornman-Levy, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, who started the program.

"They're used to instant gratification. When they first came here, all they saw was an empty bed."

After planting seeds they had to wait . . . days, weeks, even months for evidence of their labors.

"They'd lose attention, goof off. But as soon as they harvested their first produce, they'd go, 'My God, we've just created food.'"

During the mayoral campaign, State Rep. Dwight Evans often made the point that inner-city residents needed better access to fresh foods so they could be healthier. This program, called Teens 4 Good, tries to do its part, while teaching lessons that should flower in the young farmers for years.

Growing got a lot more interesting when the teens saw there was some money in it.

Last summer, parents picking up their kids at the Journey Home summer camp grabbed up the collard greens, peppers, cucumbers, squash and herbs that had been raised down the street. The teens took in about $500 for the season.

That's led to a more frequent schedule. Saturdays this year they are selling what they harvest on site. Tuesdays they hit the Rittenhouse Square farmers market. They're working on a cookbook, while earning $7 an hour.

Now the farmers in the 'hood are talking about things like marketing strategies and business plans.

Urban renewal

With its colorful mosaics and murals, it's a hive of activity, this city-owned lot that three years ago was just another eyesore of tires, weeds, trash and neglect.

Several school and camp groups spend time in the garden on any given day. Last Monday, visitors included a class of high schoolers led by Cora Turpin, a former Philadelphia science teacher now lecturing at Eastern University.

She was teaching them a lesson on microclimates for college credit.

"Most of our kids are from concrete jungles," she said. "We're bringing them here to a garden environment, which they didn't know was possible in their neighborhood. We're showing them the importance of having vegetables and flowers and quiet. The calming aspect of this is worth fighting for. We need these open spaces."

Larry Finney picks up the garden tour where his friend James leaves off. Larry's also 16 and a second-year farmer.

"There are many things you can learn here," he says. "How to sell your product, get your business out there, how to make your money stay in line."

At a raspberry bush, he picks a pale pink fruit and offers it up for sampling. Another free morsel. Clearly, these kids have some tasty skills.

Contact Daniel Rubin at 215-854-5917 or drubin@phillynews.com. Read his work at http://go.philly.com/danrubin.