In preparation for Charles Dalton’s day as Celebrity Chef at the public school on Jan. 15, the seventh and eighth grade Culinary Arts Class all pitched in to help make hundreds of fresh chicken tamales – more than twice the amount Dalton thought they could make in the two hours allotted.

Under the watchful eye and leadership of Dalton, they learned how to soften the corn husks, prepare the masa and chicken and fill and wrap the tamales. When done, the students got to sample their work.

Several asked how much Dalton was being paid for coming to the school to do this.  When told by Paula Towne, who was leading the class, that he didn’t get any money but just did it as a gift to the school and community, they were very surprised.  This will be the fourth time he has been a Celebrity Chef at the school and worked with students teaching them how to make what he would be serving. He was the school’s very first one back in November of 2009.

Last year, Dalton taught Mandy Randolph’s K-6 Farm to Classroom kids how to make sushi. A week after that visit when he was their chef at lunch, he broke the record for the number of lunches served at 325.  That record was recently broken by Madden Surbaugh of the New Leaf Cafe, so Dalton is hoping to get back on top by beating the record of 352.

In anticipation of many diners coming to lunch on Jan. 15, the school is preparing for a crowd.  Community members who do not have kids in the school are asked to come between noon and 1 p.m. when most of the kids have been served and are on their way back to class.  It will be quieter and roomier and there will be plenty of food.

The menu will be, of course, the tamales, black bean chili with salsa and sour cream and Dalton’s special chocolate pudding. The cost is still just $5 for adults, which includes a trip to the salad bar and a beverage.