Laura Pensiero: From Clinical Dietitian to Accidental Restaurateur building Hudson Valley Mediterranean Magic
Meet Laura Pensiero, RDN
Registered Dietitian, Chef, Author, Consultant and Speaker
Owner of Gigi's Trattoria in Rhinebeck, NY
From studying nutrition, working at NY’s premier hospitalsto sharing a kitchen with world-renowned French chefs to becoming an accidental restaurateur. Meet the tenacious Laura Pensiero, the owner and driving forcebehind GiGi’s Trattoria in Rhinebeck, New York, and author of Hudson Valley Mediterranean.
From Laura, we learn how to succeed in the restaurantbusiness, build adjacencies to our expertise, and what she has learned as an entrepreneur through the crash following 9/11 and the pandemic. Creativity, good management, and community have become her hallmarks in the 25 years she has been building a robust community in the Hudson Valley.
Find out what the inimitable Julia Child told her aboutnutritionists and about the books she worked on with the likes of Le Cirque's founding chef, Alain Sailhac [https://www.google.com/search?q=Alain+Sailhac&sca_esv=4ae20d8bd47daad1&biw=1319&bih=715&sxsrf=ANbL-n5iW7bVEJotJxgVZ5-9PehwI1uEGA%3A1773771117280&ei=bZm5aZ_TEJOcw8cPz7X_yAs&ved=2ahUKEwiQi4G1xKeTAxUnmYkEHR2DKUUQgK4QegQIARAB&uact=5&oq=Alain+Sak%2C+who+was+the+first+chef+at+Le+Circe+in+New+York+and%2C+uh%2C+was+from+Provence.&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiVUFsYWluIFNhaywgd2hvIHdhcyB0aGUgZmlyc3QgY2hlZiBhdCBMZSBDaXJjZSBpbiBOZXcgWW9yayBhbmQsIHVoLCB3YXMgZnJvbSBQcm92ZW5jZS5I_B9QAFjNG3AAeACQAQCYAdoBoAGtAqoBBTEuMC4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIAoAIAmAMA4gMFEgExIECSBwCgB-EFsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp], and Jacques Pépin, Jacques, Torres, and the late André Soltner.
Meet Laura at https://www.laurapensiero.com/
Gigi’s Hudson Valley https://www.gigihudsonvalley.com/
Books & Media:
Laura has worked on The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking, From America's Foremost French Chefs (1998); The Strang Cookbook for Cancer Prevention: AComplete Nutrition and Lifestyle Plan to Dramatically Lower Your Cancer Risk (1998). by LauraPensiero [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Laura+Pensiero&text=Laura+Pensiero&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books], Michael Osborne [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2?ie=UTF8&field-author=Michael+Osborne&text=Michael+Osborne&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books], Susan Oliviera [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_3?ie=UTF8&field-author=Susan+Oliviera&text=Susan+Oliviera&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books] with foreword by Jacques Pepin [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_4?ie=UTF8&field-author=Jacques+Pepin&text=Jacques+Pepin&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books]; and her Hudson Valley Mediterranean, The Gigi Good Food Cookbook (2009).
Column: Sanctuary Magazine - Laura’s CornerTable https://www.sanctuary-magazine.com/lauras-corner-table.html
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About This Kaleidoscope Career
Hosted by Helen Jonsen, journalist, strategic advisor, author, and speaker.
Like the colored glass in a kaleidoscope that tumble to create new and brilliant images, This Kaleidoscope Career celebrates women who twist and turn their skills, talents, passions, and experiences to create new and brilliant iterations of their careers. We meet women across sectors and industries, including some in C-suites, on stage, in medicine, consulting, advocacy, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. Each of their stories is unique, and each one is inspirational.
Helen’s book, This Kaleidoscope Career: Empowering Women to Build Unconventional Careers and Redefine Success, will be published in September 2026 by global publisher De Gruyter-Brill.
The Kaleidoscope Career is a production of helen jonsen media https://www.helenjonsen.com/
Learn more at thiskaleidoscopecareer.com
https://www.helenjonsen.com/#this-kaleidoscope-career
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Support for This Kaleidoscope Career comes from Divine Asset Management, a woman-owned firm advising individuals, families, and business owners on long-term strategies that align wealth with values. Explore more at WorkWithDivine.com. https://www.divineassetmgt.com/
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