Thought for Food : Education: Student entrepreneurs at Crenshaw High School have a growing produce business. They hope to branch out into salad dressing--and profitability.

The dreams of an enterprising group of Crenshaw High School students are coming to fruition.

Food from the ‘Hood, a produce business launched just over a year ago on a neglected patch of land behind the Crenshaw campus, recently packed its harvest of lettuce, collard greens, spices and vegetables into gift boxes to be distributed to needy families in South-Central Los Angeles.

And the 40 students who operate the business got some unexpected holiday cheer as well: a $50,000 grant from RLA (formerly Rebuild L.A.) that will help get a new salad dressing venture off the ground.

“This feels great!” said sophomore Seak Chan, amid whoops and shouts after RLA official Susan Gonzalez presented the check from financier Kirk Kerkorian’s Nevada-based Lincy Foundation. “It’s really good to know that people are generous enough to help us out.”

“Let’s see, we can make 4,000 cases of dressing, maybe make $100,000 in profit,” said Ben Osborne, another student. “That’s nothing to sneeze at.”

The students hope that selling their salad dressing, which they have dubbed Straight Out of the Garden, will soon make Food from the ‘Hood a viable business. They hope profits from the business will enable them to finance more college scholarships for themselves, as well as allow them to continue to aid the community.

Business consultant Melinda McMullen, who has worked with the group since last year, said she hopes that other young people will follow Food from the ‘Hood’s lead and start similar businesses.

“This concept works on every level,” she said. “The garden is great, but the kids need to do more than just grow lettuce. They need to feel ownership, to run their own business.”

With the money now in hand for making and marketing the salad dressing, McMullen and the students are looking for a food broker to sell the basil-and-garlic dressing to local markets.

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After coming up with the idea seven months ago, the students developed and tested a recipe with the help of Sweet Adelaide, a Hawthorne-based dressing manufacturer that Gonzalez recruited for the project. Norris Bernstein, founder of Bernstein’s salad dressing and now a business consultant, drove from Long Beach each week to help students put together a financial plan.

“These kids are serious,” said Bernstein, 64. “They’re not looking for a handout. And the great part is, this salad dressing is really good. It should do well.”

The business started in October, 1992, when biology teacher Tammy Bird wanted to make use of a parcel of land behind her classroom. The land had been designated for agricultural use in the 1960s but had lain fallow for many years because of a lack of school funds. With the help of the nonprofit organization Gardens for Kids, Bird and about 30 students began planting seeds with the intention of donating half their harvest to the homeless and selling the other half to local markets for profit.

The project became a full-fledged business venture that attracted an army of corporate and business volunteers who wanted to donate everything from lessons in writing financial schedules to after-school tutoring for some of the students, whose devotion to the project was adversely affecting their grades.

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Representatives from Mrs. Gooch’s grocery stores, Cross Colours clothing and the investment firm of Luther, Smith & Small were just some of the volunteer businesses that lent their expertise.

“It’s great to see everyone so committed,” said Bird, who also coaches volleyball. “The kids have grown so much, come out of their shells. Everyone in the neighborhood seems to be really proud of what we’re doing.”

Last June, the Food from the ‘Hood Board of Directors awarded a total of $350 in scholarships to three of its participants. Next year, they hope to give much more.

Said sophomore Carlos Lopez: “We should have enough to buy a Ph.D.”