The Giants and the Beanstalk…

The AT&T ballpark, home of Major League Baseball’s World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, is the site of heroic exploits other than just home runs and double plays. It is also a learning place for children from the community thanks to the ballpark’s own organic garden, where kids can not only see various crops grow (for use in the ballpark’s own kitchens) but get their hands dirty in interactive cooking classes.

The Giants and foodservice partner Bon Appétit Management Co. conduct an outdoor culinary education program that lets children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Clubhouse, the YMCA’s Shih Yu-Lang Central location and the Junior Giants visit the garden for a series of field trips designed to learn about growing, harvesting, preparing and eating locally cultivated food.

“Many youth who participate in programs at the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA live in the Tenderloin,” says Chuck Collins, president and CEO of YMCA San Francisco. “Access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited in this neighborhood and the opportunity for these youth to learn from the garden, see how fresh fruits and vegetables are grown, taste and cook with them in the Garden at AT&T Park will be a powerful experience.”

The Giants and Bon Appétit opened the Garden at AT&T Park last June, in the midst of the Giants 2014 World Series Championship season. Fans quickly adopted the unique venue as a place to gather, eat and cheer on the Giants.
“For a long time, I’ve wanted to help connect children and our larger community directly to the origins of their food and to inspire them to make healthy and responsible food choices,” says Bon Appétit CEO/co-founder Fedele Bauccio. “Our chefs are excited to share their passion for food and cooking with the next generation.”

Photos: SF GIANTS