SAN FERNANDO : College Workshop to Offer Artful Edibles

The Michelangelo of Melons and the Rodin of Radishes are planning to give lessons on works of art good enough to eat for San Fernando Valley chefs at Mission College.

The college’s Community Extension Program will hold a workshop April 13 on “How to create dazzling table centerpieces from fruits and vegetables.”

Titled “Incredible Edibles,” the workshop will demonstrate how to hand-carve fruits and vegetables into delicate petals, graceful birds and unique seasonal designs.

“Basically, one of the things we try to do is to introduce ways to use fruits and vegetables as part of the meal presentation,” chef Eloise Cantrell said. “We create garde-mange r.”

She said garde-manger is a French term for decorative, artful presentation of food for special events.

The workshop will teach how to create flower arrangement from vegetables, elaborate baskets and boats from watermelons, sculptures from turnips, roses from strawberries, and birds from summer squash--all through special carving techniques.

“Rather than spending money on something you will throw away, you can buy something for decoration, then eat it,” Cantrell said.

The workshop is scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The enrollment fee is $19.