Social engagement is an important element of good health, especially for older adults. The way Luthercare has got it figured, a great way to engage is through cooking.

Recently, Luther Acres, 600 E. Main St., Lititz, hosted celebrity chef Norman Van Aken for an interactive, on-site cooking demonstration. With the assistance of eight Luther Acres residents, Van Aken prepared two delicious dishes that were later served as part of that evening's annual summer picnic.

"Engagement is really critical, honestly," said Amy Kenn, Luthercare's communications director. "We want folks who live here to be part of our community and develop relationships with other residents and staff. As you age, if you're not part of a community, residents may spend time alone. Here, we have a lot available for them to do."

"It's nice to see smiles and laughter. Cooking and food bring everyone together," Kenn continued.

Luther Acres' community room was transformed into a teaching kitchen as Van Aken and his resident assistants concocted roasted and shredded chicken salad with chimichurri mayo and Peppadew-black olive pasta. Later, the unique chicken salad was paired with local favorite Martin's potato rolls.

After the cooking was through, Van Aken, who created the recipes specially for the event, signed cookbooks and chatted with the 75 or so residents in attendance.

Based in Florida, Van Aken is known as the founding father of New World Cuisine and is famous for introducing fusion into modern cookery. The Smithsonian Magazine once noted that he was ahead of his time in combining local ethnic foods.

"Who doesn't love a good meal?" said Kenn. "He walked our residents through how to make these dishes, like you would see on television. It was great hearing questions from our residents. He was really engaging and interesting to listen to. He's got a lot of flavors with the foods he creates."

Van Aken's appearance was part of Morrison Living's ongoing Celebrity Chef series offered at Luther Acres. Morrison Living is the culinary provider for Luther Acres and, from time to time, presents cooking demonstrations from its own in-house chefs.

"Some of our residents are in independent living, and a lot of them were already interested in cooking," said Kenn. "Some may even consider themselves 'foodies.' We're just trying to get fun activities for our residents to take part in. This is just one of the things our residents can take advantage of."

Founded in 1949 in Lancaster, Luther Acres is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization that provides long-term care, short-term care, rehabilitation, memory support, personal care and individual living for nearly 600 residents. Luther Acres moved to its current location in Lititz in 1966.

For additional information on Luthercare, go to http://www.luthercare.org.