San Francisco Towers and St. Paul’s Towers, Oakland, residents received a special cooking presentation and autographed cookbook compliments of Celebrity Chef Bal Arneson. Her message to the seniors was the importance of natural spices and their ability to substitute traditional medications. These delicious spices provide them with important antioxidants, natural cures, and healthy eating options.

Bal Arneson, the Spice Goddess, TV Cooking Host, and Award Winning Cookbook Author, honored elders by teaching them the ways of her world in India through the magic of food and the ability to heal through spices. The Spice Goddess is one of the featured speakers at the Episcopal Senior Communities (ESC) yearlong 50th celebration. ESC has been empowering seniors in the Bay Area for many years providing them with knowledge and helping them continue to live long, healthy and independent lives.

Bal Arneson, a native of Punjab, India, is a bestselling author, teacher and advocate of simple and healthy Indian-inspired cooking. In July of 2010, her cooking series Spice Goddess premiered on the Cooking Channel, and she has published two bestselling cookbooks, “Everyday Indian” and “Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian.”

Since 1965, ESC’s vision of community and commitment to serving the needs of seniors has been the driving force behind ESC’s mission of cultivating and building healthy communities with a continuum of residential and innovative aging services that actively promote intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual well-being.

Episcopal Senior Communities is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping seniors maintain healthy, vibrant and independent lives. Through their many initiatives and non-profit efforts, including the ElderWISE program, Senior Resources @ Home, Senior Center Without Walls, and the Senior Produce Markets, ESC is providing valuable services that alleviate isolation and promote healthy lifestyles.

Interested in becoming a volunteer and helping seniors in your community, call 415-776-0500.