In a city dominated by fast food restaurants, a delicious revolution is taking over local education. Kids at Buena Vista Elementary School in southwest Bakersfield are growing and cooking their own food.
The Edible Schoolyard gets students out of the classroom and gives them the opportunity to develop a better relationship with food at a young age.
It is a back to basics approach at a time when the dinner table has become more like a drive-thru fast food joint. Kids can get their hands dirty and learn about nutrition and where it all begins, in a beautifully manicured garden.
"It's awesome. It has everything in it. I just love it," said Zaire Pickett, student.
The Buena Vista edible garden is just one of seven in the nation. The garden is modeled after the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, which started 16 years ago by Alice Waters, a renowned chef and leader of the "slow food" movement. Waters encourages people to eat organic foods grown locally.
"I don't think we'll ever be able to tell kids to eat good food because it's better for you. You have to bring them to the place where they can taste and make that decision for themselves," explained Waters.
Barbara Grimm-Marshall, co-owner of Grimmway Farms, planted the idea to grow the garden in Bakersfield. "We just came back to Bakersfield and decided that this would be a perfect fit for our community, sitting here in the middle of the grocery basket of the world," she explained.
Kids prepare the soil and watch the crops grow before they pick the fresh fruits and vegetables and prepare them in the kitchen.
"Maybe they wouldn't try it if it was bought at the grocery store, but because they're here with their friends, they will. And, as it turns out most of the kids enjoy what we're tasting," said Dean Powell, Garden manager and teacher.
It is an edible education in a world where some have forgotten the benefits of healthy eating. The Grimm family will donate $400,000 a year to maintain the program. There are plans to open a second garden at the Grimmway Academy in Arvin this Spring.
