Chef Saran Chats with Food Gal at ICC in Milpitas Friday

Years ago on the limo ride to a taping of the Today show to talk about his new cookbook, it dawned on that what he really wanted to talk about were things in the world that mattered most to him, not necessarily his cookbook.

That philosophy holds true still, he says, and will be on display at the India Community Center in Milpitas tonight, 7 p.m. when the self-described “shock jock” Saran meets with Carolyn Jung for a question and answer discussion about food, HIV/AIDS, health, nutrition, and anything else that pops into his head.

“Carolyn is a real rock star in the food critic world. And Suvir, if you have seen him on Top Chef Masters on Bravo, is a real character. This will be a delightful and candid conversation about food, New York restaurants, life in India, AIDS, whatever,” says Vandana Pant, development director of .

"Suvir is smart and very funny."

Jung, a James Beard award winner and Food Gal blogger offers a taste of how the conversation may go on her blog.

The event at the ICC is a continuation of the fundraising awareness campaign that is taking place across the Bay Area today and at three Campbell restaurants: , and .

Tickets are on sale now with an added bonus, says Patty Fisher, director of policy and communications of The Health Trust.

"If people are concerned about the $55 admission price, we are offering a special two-for-one rate for couples. All proceeds go to The Health Trust’s AIDS Services and the India Community Center," Fisher says.

Dining Out for Life is an annual national event designed to call attention to the fight against HIV/AIDS. More than 40 Bay Area restaurants will donate at least 25 percent of food sales today to The Health Trust in Campbell.

“One of the goals of Dining Out for Life, in addition to raising money to support our work with AIDS clients, is to spread the word that AIDS is a very real, very serious problem in our community. Because Silicon Valley is so diverse, we are trying to reach out to various ethnic communities with this message.

"We thought that since Suvir is of Indian descent, it would be a natural fit to reach out to the India Community Center for a special event. And they were delighted to accept our invitation,” Pant says.

Tickets are available for purchase at the ICC website.