Off the streets, into the kitchen.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

The stuffed mushroom caps were a crowd-pleaser, the pulled pork was a universal favorite and the take-home meals - pesto chicken over penne pasta with fresh veggie medley and ginger honey pork tenderloin with rice pilaf - were being snatched up by the armload.

"Everything was a hit with us," diner Linda McAndrews of Springfield said. "They did very well."

The cooks McAndrews referred to weren't trained at a culinary institute and most have never worked in the restaurant industry. They are Lane County teens who have been in trouble with the law and are now finding their way toward productive lives by way of the kitchen.

"It's about making people smile with great food," said Tasha Sutton, 16.

"If I wasn't here right now, I'd probably be out getting myself into trouble," said Sutton, who used to do drugs and live on the streets but is now renting a house in south Eugene and planning to earn her high school GED this month. She is one of about a dozen teens, most of them on probation, who are participating in the Culinary Arts Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center in Eugene. On Wednesday the group held an open house and tasting to celebrate the accomplishments of the 9-month-old program, which aims to reduce crime and provide vocational training for teens who have been through the juvenile justice system. So far the group has served more than 1,000 meals and catered events for everyone from the Board of County Commissioners to the Kendall Lexus dealership.

"It's very easy to help kids get jobs," coordinator John Aarons said. "What we want to do is help kids keep jobs."

By teaching public speaking, anger management and other skills, as well as educating teens about nutrition and keeping them off drugs and alcohol, Aarons said the Culinary Arts Program provides them with more than quick-fix solutions. Some students aim to work in restaurants, while others hope to go on to Lane Community College's Culinary Arts program.

At Wednesday's open house, teen cooks had a chance to practice their people skills as they presented the items on the menu and showed off their knife abilities. Fernando Vigueria, 17, of Springfield demonstrated a "fine brunoise" cut. He took several swipes at a peeled potato with his chopping knife and came away with an impossibly small cube, which he then compared to a 3-D model for accuracy.

"This is the hardest one," he said. "It's French. I don't know how to pronounce it."

Vigueria and the other teens in the program earn a small stipend. They work five hours a day, four to five days a week, and must complete an application that includes an agreement to stay off drugs and alcohol. So far, only one student has been removed from the program after failing to abide by the pact, chef instructor Amy Van Dyke said.

"I've had to learn to meet them where they are at (in their lives)," she says. "These kids don't come from traditional homes where mom and dad get up and eat breakfast with the kids. A few of them don't even have homes.

"I've realized in working with them that it's not about me, it's about them."

Van Dyke uses several techniques to help her students learn, including "strength-based" learning that emphasizes what teens are doing right. She also relies on her students to teach each other skills.

One of the ultimate goals of the Culinary Arts program is to grow the department into a self-sustaining business. The program, which was started with a one-time $40,000 tax rollover gift from the county, is funded by video lottery money, juvenile block grants, juvenile crime prevention funds and educational funds. In addition to catering, teens have started selling take-home prepared meals to the public for $6 to $7 and cookie baskets for $20 to $30.

"You can always make money with food," says Daniel McMorrow, 16, a member of the program who recently applied for a job at Marche restaurant. "Food will never go out of business."

CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM

For more information, including details on take-home meals and cookie baskets, call 682-7940.

CORRECTION (ran 6/2/2006): The phone number for information on the Culinary Arts Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center is 682-7904. A story on Page D1 Thursday gave the incorrect number.

CAPTION(S):

Fernando Vigueria (left) and Tasha Sutton collaborate during a food preparation demonstration Wednesday to celebrate the Culinary Arts Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center in Eugene. A student-prepared dish of brie cheese and strawberries is served.