(Ventura, California) The media and public are invited to attend a free live cooking demonstration with celebrity chef and author Bal Arneson, who will cook and serve her Indian dishes at the new Community Memorial Hospital’s Brent Street Café on Wednesday, July 17. The public is invited to attend and reservations are not necessary. Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.  

“We’re excited to have Chef Bal join us for this teaching kitchen event at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura,” said Haady Lashkari, Community Memorial Health System’s Chief Administrative Officer at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. “As a health system, we are committed to providing our patients and visitors with healthy, nutritious food, and are excited for this opportunity to learn more about spice and flavor from Chef Bal.”

Arneson is a television host, award-winning author, Compass Celebrity Chef and culinary personality who is internationally known for her trademark spice-infused cooking. A native of India, she is a passionate advocate for simple and healthy Indian recipes, and her TV programs air in several countries around the world, including in the United States on the Cooking Channel and on Food Network Canada. Arneson has authored three national best-selling cookbooks, including “Everyday Indian,” which won the Asian Cuisine category prize for Canada from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She also wrote, “Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian,” and “Bal’s Spice Kitchen.”

During her visit to CMH on July 17, Arneson will host a live cooking demonstration, show people how to blend spices, and serve her dishes in the lunch line at the café. Arneson’s cookbooks will be for sale along with spice jars of blends she prepares, and there will be a limited supply of samples and gift bags for attendees.

Arneson’s cooking demonstration is from noon to 1:30 p.m., followed by book signings and guest questions. The foods Arneson will be cooking and serving at lunchtime include: No Butter Chicken; Basmati Rice with Edamame Beans; Garlic Broccoli; Spiced and Herbed Potatoes; Cauliflower and Sweet Potato; Kidney Bean Stew with Sweet Potato and Oranges; Mango Lassi; Apple and Fig Chutney; Yogurt Dill Sauce; Indian Spiced Coconut Sauce; and Lentil Cookies with Almond and Chocolate. Her goal is to teach others about Indian spices and flavors and healthy eating.