After more than a year of COVID restrictions, Luther Acres residents welcomed the return of many pre-pandemic activities and a visit from celebrity chef and Food Network star Jet Tila on June 23. Tila visited the campus to conduct a hands-on "Teaching Kitchen" cooking demonstration at 11 a.m. in the campus Community Room. He prepared a Hawaiian chicken sandwich with fresh apple slaw alongside several residents as sous chefs, while roughly 50 residents and team members gathered to watch the live demonstration. Afterward, he posed for photos with residents and staff, chatted and autographed cookbooks attendees had brought to the event.

The sandwich was a featured menu item later that evening at the annual Luther Acres Resident Summer Picnic. The picnic, with a Summer Fair and Carnival theme, also included Angus beef sliders, whole roast pigs, boardwalk fries, snow cones, cotton candy, funnel cakes and more. Other activities throughout the day included a cornhole tournament and putting contest, as well as a dunk tank and a "Pie in the Face" event, featuring members of Luther Acres' leadership team. The band Swing Street performed on the campus' Towne Center patio at 6 p.m. The gathering was the largest campus-wide event in more than a year.

When Tila was growing up, he spent a significant amount of time in his family's restaurant kitchens and markets in Los Angeles, which is known for having the world's largest Thai population outside of Thailand. As a boy, he spent time learning the ancient traditions of Asian cuisine from his Cantonese grandmother and working in the famed Bangkok Market and Royal Thai restaurant. Tila completed his culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu, establishing a framework of classical French technique to match his extensive knowledge of Asian cooking. He also completed an intensive study program at the California Sushi Academy. Tila is known for his appearances on "Chopped" and "Iron Chef America."

His visit was part of Morrison Living's Celebrity Chef Series, offered in partnership with Luther Acres to bring interactive and engaging culinary experiences to residents. Morrison Living is the culinary services provider for Luther Acres and other Luthercare communities.