In The Arts: Series cooks up some art

Festival of Arts’ Art of Cooking Series begins with Laguna Beach-based Nirvana Grille.

Owner and executive chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales will showcase the restaurant’s “Clean” California Cuisine between 1 and 2 p.m. July 7 in the Festival Art Center at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

“Chef Lindsay has received many awards for her use of fresh and sustainable ingredients,” Susan Davis, director of special events for the Festival of Arts, wrote in a release. “We’re very excited to start the 2013 Art of Cooking series with such a talented chef from Laguna Beach.”

The series will continue with an event at the same time every Sunday until Aug. 25 and is free with festival admission.

In the coming weeks, Lewis Butler, executive chef of the Center Club, Sara Forte, a cookbook author and blogger of Sprouted Kitchen, and Azmin Ghahreman, chef and owner of Sapphire Laguna, will take the stage.

For more information, visit https://www.foapom.com/events/the-art-of-cooking/.

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Museum rolls out the summer fun

The Laguna Art Museum, at 307 Cliff Drive, rolls out its first “Elements of Art Summer Camp” every Sunday in July from 2 to 5 p.m. Students in first through eighth grade are invited and must pay $100 per head.

The second session will last from Aug. 5 through 9. Admission is $125 per child.

Each camp is limited to 30 participants.

For more information or to sign up, contact Jennifer Gardiner at [email protected] or call (949) 494-8971, ext. 221.

Up next, on July 11, Live! at the Museum presents classical guitarist Lee Zimmer from 7 to 8 p.m., which is followed by a lecture by Los Angeles-based “Faux Real” artist Matthias Merkel Hess at 1 p.m. July 14.

The Laguna Beach Film Society then continues its Summer Comedy Series with a screening of “The Big Lebowski” at 7 p.m. July 18 at South Coast Cinema, 162 South Coast Highway. The show will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception at the museum.

Finally, the museum’s “One Hour / One Painting” features author and critic Peter Clothier, whose latest work is “Mind Work: Shedding Delusions On The Path To The Creative Core,” at 7 p.m. July 25. During this event, John Altoon’s contribution to the museum’s permanent collection will be studied. The seminar will consist of the basics of closed-eye breath meditation, as well as alternating closed- and open-eye work, which will be accompanied by instructions.

— Rhea Mahbubani