Thai food is a cacophony of fresh herbs and savory spices, colorful and aromatic dishes and gastronomic and culinary charm. And recently, residents at the Royal Oaks Life Plan Community in Sun City immersed themselves in a chef’s demonstration of the “Art of Thai Cooking.”

The culinary team of Jet Tila, a James Beard nominated chef, and his wife, pastry chef Ali Tila, a former educator, visited the senior community to demonstrate the simplicity of cooking Thai food. Tila is the author of numerous books, including “Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die,” which he co-authored with chef Tad Wayland Fukumoto.

Tila grew up immersed in Thai cuisine. His family opened the first Thai market in 1972. He learned the art of cooking at the feet of his grandmother who turned him into a chef honored as the Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles. He is the world record holder for the largest stir fry, California roll and seafood stew. He has been featured on Iron Chef of America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped Tournament of Champions and the Today Show. He is also the host of Ready Jet Cook and an advocate for Los Angeles first responders.

Ali is a pastry chef with a unique background as an education specialist and business leader. She has a master’s degree in childhood special education. She co-owns and manages Team Tila’s restaurants in Dallas and Los Angeles. She has appeared on Guys Grocer Games, Cutthroat Kitchen and Beat Bobby Flay. The couple met more than a decade ago when she took a culinary class with instructor Jet Tila. Thirteen years later, they have two children in addition to thriving businesses.

The ying and the yang of the couple was most entertaining as they playfully talked about their past cooking experiences, their marriage and family and their growth as a power couple in the culinary world.

While Jet focused on the needed ingredients for preparing Orange Chicken, Ali prepared the ingredients to make a silky grenache for a peanut butter tart. She also prepared the necessary ingredients for a healthy smoothie. Residents who attended the hour-long presentation sampled the food and titillated their tastebuds with the comfort of the orange chicken dish balanced with the sweet tart.

Royal Oaks Chief Executive Officer Kendra Eberhart, who introduced the power couple, applauded the community’s Food Service staff who invited the cooking couple to the senior community.

“This is just one example of the kinds of events we love to hold here at Royal Oaks. We want our residents to feel engaged and in touch with all that the world cooking community has to offer,” she said.

Jet Tila’s book also offers other tasty dishes that include northern braised beef curry noodles and shrimp tom yum soup, along with an array of appetizers for those who do not wish to cook a full meal, but want something unique and snappy for their guests. There also was a large section on Thai salads and desserts.