Peabody School welcomes celebrity chef

Students at Peabody Charter School were treated to a special lunch from a “celebrity chef” Wednesday.

Chef Dario Furlati of Ca’ Dario Ristorante in Santa Barbara worked with the school kitchen staff to make pasta bolognese, caesar salad, and a panna cota (cooked cream) with fresh fruit.

“Simple,” Furlati said.

Many parents joined their children for lunch, and teachers and school staff also made sure not to miss out on the special occasion.

“Having a celebrity chef benefits everybody,” Peabody School Chef, Laurel Lyle said. “It benefits my staff because we learn new things. The kids get to try something new. They get this sense of sort of culinary adventure.”

The Peabody School kitchen staff prepares food from scratch on a daily basis, and has a celebrity chef join them a few times each year. Jake Francis from Valley Piggery visited in February and the “Opera Chef” Eduardo Villa cooked and sang for students in October.

“It’s really fun, Furlati said about halfway through serving more than 500 lunches. “It’s great! Especially for the kids.”