All farmers markets have corn, peaches and squash these days, but the Friday Citiparks market in Allegheny Commons Park has a chef -- a different one each week.

"Fresh Fridays" started June 10 at the weekly market. It is paid for by the Charm Bracelet Project, a collaboration of North Side cultural institutions. Every Friday through Sept. 4, a guest chef from a different North Side restaurant will demonstrate ways to cook food sold at the market.

Last Friday, Cindy Sproull from Cafe at the Lofts in the Heinz Lofts -- behind a table under a tent with chairs clustered in front of her -- made bruschetta and green salad at posted intervals between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. (For the entire schedule, visit deutschtown.org.)

Senior citizens, children and everyone between swarmed her tent for samples. She covered the bread with chopped tomatoes and basil, olive oil and cheese; the green salad included blueberries and sugared walnuts.

"This is a great idea," said Audrey Layne, a farmers market regular who lives in Oakland. "It helps people who have diabetes and people who make the same salad over and over, the typical way."

Each chef provides recipe cards that shoppers can assemble into a hole-punched grouping at a nearby activities table. Also part of Fresh Fridays are art displays, live music, a raffle and crafters who help shoppers design fabric bags for carrying produce. Children taking classes at the Warhol Museum are making cookbooks of the recipes.

Many people buy produce but don't know the range of ways to use it. On July 10, caterer Linda Iannotta grilled zucchini to show people the green squash doesn't have to be fried to be good.

The project's several partners include Allegheny General Hospital, whose representative, Stephanie Greenleaf, said the healthy-eating aspect of Fresh Fridays follows the hospital's education mission.

"All of us come to this with different ideas of success," said Alida Baker, director of the Allegheny Commons Park restoration project. "I'm happy to see a vibrant event bringing lots of people out. The chefs get to promote their businesses. Stephanie is interested in the health aspect. And it all converges in such a great way."

Tomorrow's guest chef is Zahmir Zahavi from the Park House. Future guest chefs will be from Hoi Polloi Coffeehouse and Vegetarian Cafe, Monterey Pub, Amani International Coffeehouse and Cafe and the Children's Museum Cafe.

"Isn't it a great idea?" said Ms. Sproull, whose cafe and gourmet deli opened three and a half years ago in the Heinz Lofts. "It's quite exciting to be involved in what is happening over here in the North Side.

"I go to the farmers market and was thinking it needed a little livening."

The Charm Bracelet Project, which is funded by the Grable Foundation, has budgeted between $15,000 and $20,000 for costs. It is buying the produce the chefs use. In-kind support is coming from Allegheny General Hospital, Allegheny Center Alliance Church, Elm Street funding for Historic Deutschtown, Citiparks and Breadworks.

A raffle of prizes each week will include gift certificates for the farmers market and passes to nearby museums.

"We thought it would be interesting to use an already working format on Fridays and enliven it a bit," said Bill Schlageter, a spokesman for the Charm Bracelet Project. "It is complementary" to the market scene, "a place for the community to gather and be around fresh things, including fresh ideas."