Laura Pensiero is the creator of Gigi Hudson Valley, a broad-based company that celebrates local New York farmers and their products through her restaurant, the influential Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, New York; her café and store, Gigi Market in nearby Red Hook featuring Hudson Valley products; and her line of Gigi-branded products. A registered dietician, Pensiero has worked with some of the best health-care institutions in the world, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center. She is also a partner in and chef for Just Salad, developing menus and recipes for a rapidly expanding chain of healthful fast-food eateries with locations in New York City and Hong Kong. Named one of five "amazingly gifted and giving food professionals" by O, The Oprah Magazine, Pensiero is the coauthor of The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook and has developed recipes for The Da Fiore Cookbook, among others. She has written for many magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Prevention, and Today's Diet and Nutrition, and has contributed recipes to Real Simple, More, and Fitness. Her work has also been featured in Cooking Light and Chef Magazine. She is also a board member and educator for Healthy Children Healthy Futures, a national after-school child health program. Pensiero lives in Red Hook, New York.

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