Carlsbad's Chef Lance Roll, of the Laguna Culinary Arts School, gives a cooking demonstration in the San Diego Pavilion of the San Diego County Fair as part of the fair`s culinary arts series showcasing the best of the county`s chefs Sunday afternoon. Robert Benson/For the North County Times Order a copy of this photo Visit our Photo Gallery

DEL MAR ---- Food and fun have always gone hand-in-hand at the San Diego County Fair, and the fair's Culinary Art Series is taking that classic combination to the next level.

The month-long series puts top local chefs on stage in a state-of-the-art kitchen at the San Diego Pavilion, mimicking the feel of a Food Network television set.

The chefs slice, dice and spice, keeping folks entertained and sharing tips learned from years spent honing their own culinary styles.

On Sunday, chef Lance Roll was on the bill, ready to share more than 20 years of experience in the kitchen. Roll was representing Laguna Culinary Arts School at the event.

"It's great that the fair brought a culinary salon to San Diego and has given people the opportunity to learn from top chefs in the city," Roll said.

"This gives me the most joy," he added, as he prepared for the big show. "The main thing the top chefs taught me is to teach others." Ý

Roll had a full house Sunday and fair worker Larry Willey said the series has drawn capacity crowds since day one.

"It's like this every day," he said. "For a program only in its second year, it's incredibly popular."

Sunday's demonstration involved delving into the world of emulsions, the act of putting two liquids that normally would not be joined.

The first, cilantro vinaigrette, was bursting with vegetables and herbs that came from farms of the county.

For Roll, eating locally grown produce is not simply the latest nutrition trend.

"I am so passionate about the locally grown food movement --- it makes such sense," he said.

"It's about travel time and getting the food to your plate quickly," Roll added. "The less food travels and is grown with chemicals, the nutritional properties expand exponentially." Ý

Breanna Pepper, herself a culinary school graduate, said she attended Roll's demonstration to enhance her own cooking experience.

"I enjoy being able to create something from nothing," she said. "This is such a help and really enjoyable." Ý

Pepper echoed Roll's passion for locally grown organic ingredients.

"It's much more entertaining to taste something that is fresh and local," she said.

Roll was to make three appearances at the fair this year, including one on July 4 when he will demonstrate more techniques used in his business Aloha Bruddah's, a catering, teaching and personal chef service.

A fan of cooking shows, fair-goer Renee Lewis-Lam said Sunday that she loved being able to watch a professional chef at work while enjoying the fair.

"It's nice to see how it's done in person," she said.

Her sister, Robyn Gage, said the experience makes a lasting impression.

"I love to cook, and watching him do his thing is much better than reading it from a recipe," she said.

Beyond creating fair delicacies, Roll said participating in the fair is also about being a San Diegan and returning to what he calls an institution.

"I love being able to share what I have learned over the years," Roll said. "I came to the fair for fun and now it's nice to give back to something that has given me so much." Ý