A rare combination of skills make Laura Pensiero a unique restaurateur. A registered dietitian, cookbook author, and French Culinary Institute graduate, she has extensive experience in both food and health services. Through her innovative business, Chef4Life, Laura works closely with corporate wellness programs, chefs, the food and publishing industries and health institutions to "help people eat healthily and above all, happily." In the May 2005 5th Anniversary issue of "O" Oprah Magazine, she was selected among the 5 most "Gifted and Giving" food professionals.

In creating Gigi Trattoria, Laura worked with the designers, architects, and contractors to create both a beautiful restaurant and a comfortable space for guests. On any given night at "Gigi," it is easy to find Laura in the restaurant, greeting new guests and chatting with the "regulars," many of whom enjoy the consistently delicious "Hudson Valley Mediterranean" cooking of Chef Wilson Costa a few nights a week.

The menu: At Gigi Trattoria, we use Hudson Valley ingredients to prepare traditional Mediterranean dishes. We also recreate classic recipe using some local ingredients that may not be a component of the original dish. The result is freshness and nutrient concentration of locality combined with tried and true tradition, something we call "Hudson Valley Mediterranean." Our menus provide not only delicious "cucina," but also the innately healthy balance of Mediterranean fare. Now, in addition to the varied menu, Gigi features a daily "healthy choice" lunch special prepared from recipes developed by Laura. Guests who select this option are provided a recipe card to help recreate the dish at home.

Chef4Life
Good Food Thrills All the Senses:
Founded by Laura Pensiero, Chef4Life provides corporations, schools, health institutions, the food industry, and media (print and television) with practical solutions for healthy, delicious and lasting improvements in eating.

Services include: Freelance writing, dynamic health and culinary web content, culinary demonstrations, print materials, recipe development, curriculum development, spokesperson consultation. All services promote, health, longevity and vitality through nutritious and flavorful eating.

Pensiero is a registered dietitian and graduate of The French Culinary Institute, in New York City. Through Chef4life, Laura has developed up-to-date nutrition and culinary materials for corporations, food and publishing industries, as well as internationally recognized healthcare institutions and research centers, such as the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical College, Strang Cancer Prevention Center, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York. In 2004 she co-authored The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook (McGraw-Hill), a template to healthy eating with a collection of delicious and healthy recipes from America's top chefs. In the capacity of educator, she has taught nutrition principles to medical students at Cornell Medical College and culinary students at the Culinary Institute of America, where she has also developed curriculum for professional chefs seeking certification in nutrition. As culinary coordinator for the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Prevention and Wellness Center, she demonstrates healthy cooking techniques and provides samples of delicious recipes to both the general public and special groups, such as corporate wellness programs and community groups.

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