Laura Pensiero

Chef, Registered Dietitian & Restaurateur, Gigi, Hudson Valley

Laura Pensiero, RDN, is a chef, registered dietitian, and the chef/owner of Gigi Trattoria, a Hudson Valley Mediterranean restaurant she founded in 2001. With a career spanning clinical nutrition, culinary arts, publishing, and restaurant leadership, she brings a unique, practice-based perspective to the evolving Food is Medicine movement. Laura was the founding chef and nutritionist at Just Salad, helping to scale a mission-driven brand focused on accessible, health-forward dining. She has worked with leading teaching hospitals and is the co-author of The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook, as well as Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook (2009), an early exploration of Mediterranean principles through a regional lens. Through her writing, advisory work, and restaurant, Laura translates evidence-based nutrition into food that is both delicious and operationally viable, bridging the gap between science and the plate. (Red Hook, NY) linkedin.com/in/laurapensiero, @gigihudsonvalley, @laurapensiero_