Meet our Culinary Artists

Camp Delicious! has a full menu of summer fun planned for area teens that’s designed to boost their confidence, strengthen essential cooking skills and promote an appreciation for delicious, nutritious food. In order to accomplish our goals, we are excited to welcome back some familiar faces and introduce a few new ones to our team. Campers will learn from experienced chefs and professionals the importance of food preparation, discover healthy food choices and gain an appreciation for where food comes from -- all while having fun in this truly hands-on summer camp experience (Join us July 6-10, 2015).

Guest Chefs:

Chef TONY PALATUCCI, Head Clubhouse Chef for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Campers will have the opportunity to learn from Chef Tony Palatucci who creates delicious and nutritious pre- and post-game meals for athletes including Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison and more of your favorite players. Chef Palatucci is also the Executive Chef at Ches Anthony’s in Brentwood. This spring, Chef Palatucci teamed up with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to create healthy recipes from donated ingredients. You can download the recipes cards from the Pirates website.

Chef TONI PAIS, Award-winning Executive Chef and Entrepreneur 

Chef Toni Pais, Executive Chef and Owner of the Mediterranean restaurant Café Zinho in Shadyside, returns for his second year as a guest chef for Camp Delicious! Born in Portugal, Chef Pais moved to the United States in 1978 where he's been creating award-winning dishes and incorporating healthful ingredients into his already wholesome recipes. 

Culinary Partners:

JULIE BUTCHER PEZZINO, Executive Director of Grow Pittsburgh

As executive director of Grow Pittsburgh, an urban agricultural nonprofit located in Pittsburgh, Julie is committed to demonstrating, teaching and promoting responsible urban food production in the region. Campers will meet with Julie and visit the different Homewood Gardens operated by Grow Pittsburgh.

In the Kitchen: Students will work directly with some the best chefs, nutritionist and health coaches in the city. Read their stories:

LESLIE J. BONCI, Director, Camp Delicious

Leslie J. Bonci, MPH,RD,CSSD, LDN, is the director of sports medicine nutrition for the Centerfor Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). She is past chair of SCAN. She is the director of sports nutrition for the University of Pittsburgh’s department of athletics, and is a nutrition consultant for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Toronto Blue Jays. In addition, she is the company nutritionist for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Leslie is a consultant to the NCAA and has worked with elite athletes including Garrett Weber-Gale, Usain Bolt, Kelly Kuehne and Tara Lipinksi,and Hines Ward in his 2013 Ironman debut.

She is the author of the American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion and Sport Nutrition for Coaches. She is the co-author of  Run Your Butt Off ( 2012), Walk Your Butt Off (2013) The Active Calorie Diet (2011) , and Bike Your Butt Off (2014). She has contributed chapters to several sports medicine texts and the SCAN sports nutrition manual.

Leslie is an adjunct assistant instructor in pediatric dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and also serves on the faculty of Pitt’s sports medicine fellowship training program.

LISA SILBERG, Chef, Intellectual Nutrition
Lisa is a dedicated heath coach and talented personal chef offering specialized food services in the Greater Pittsburgh area. She is passionate about cooking and sharing her knowledge to help others develop lifelong, healthy habits

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Lisa holds a Health Coaching Certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where she received the President's Award for excellence. She is also a member of the American Association of Drug-less Practitioners. 

KELSEY WEISGERBER, Food Service Director, Environmental Charter School

Kelsey is the Food Service Director for 630 kids at the Environmental Charter School, or as she is known by her students, "The Lunch Lady." Her lunch program is based on healthy, from scratch and locally supplemented meals and she is working on making the model economically and sustainability ready for it to be reproduced by other schools in the region. Kelsey heavily relies on food education as the back bone to her programming and has partnered with over 50 local organizations and chefs to bring hands on learning to her students.

She is a board member for the local chapter of Slow Food Pittsburgh and is co-teaching cooking classes across the city with her program "Teaching a Community to Cook." She is an international ambassador for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Campaign and has championed the cause in various projects in schools, community organizations and represented Jamie Oliver in South Africa for an international summit. Kelsey is passionate about food education and access for everyone and celebrates good, clean and fair food.

Describe the Camp Delicious! experience: It was an incredible program last summer! I volunteered with Luminari and had the opportunity to watch students engage positively with food, cooking and collaboration in the kitchen.  All of the students were so passionate about trying new things, working together and expanding their culinary literacy!  My favorite moment of the program was actually the last ten of fifteen minutes of the program seeing how proud all of the students were of the work they accomplished during the week and how eager they were to attend Camp Delicious again, it was clear this experience was much more than just a summer camp.

Favorite Dish: Recently I've been inspired by curries! I have spent a lot of time making my own curry and coconut milk! I love a spicy red pineapple curry!

TARA CONROY, Health Coach

Tara is a Holistic Health Coach, marketing consultant and mom of four teenagers, shares one of her favorite recipes with Luminari. She received her health coach certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Tara also worked directly with our Camp Delicious students lending her nutritional expertise and guidance. She coaches individuals and groups, presents Wellness Workshops to community organizations and businesses and teaches healthy cooking to children, teens and adults.

ALYSS ARDOLINO, Camp Delicious Teaching Assistant

Alyssa is a Junior Nutritional Sciences major at Penn State University. On campus, she is the President of the CHAARG chapter. Our mission is to help college-aged women embrace a happy and healthy lifestyle. In addition, Alyssa works in a Metabolic Diet Study Center. In her free time, she loves to cook, run, craft, and take photos. 

Describe the Camp Delicious! experience: Last summer, I had the opportunity to assist in the first ever Camp Delicious! I absolutely loved the experience! We planned, prepared, and cooked healthy dishes as well as learned where food comes from and why it’s so important. We toured Phipps, Whole Foods, and Grow Pittsburgh before culminating at the Arts Institute of Pittsburgh to cook a Mexican fiesta for all of the parents. Even as a college Nutrition student, I learned so much and I am so excited about helping out again this summer.

Favorite Dish: Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole (pictured right)

Best Cooking Tip: Make it fun! Cook with friends and family and don’t forget to take a picture when it’s done : )

HANNAH WILLIAMS, Camp Delicious Teaching Assistant

Hannah is a senior studying Nutrition and Dietetics and fitness at the University of Pittsburgh. She loves showing off her creativity through cooking, baking, and sewing. Throughout the school year, Hannah is most often found studying, sipping coffee, and rooting on Pitt in football and basketball. 

Describe the Camp Delicious! experience: The Camp Delicious experience was the highlight of my summer last year.  Not only did I get to work with knowledgeable professionals and some fantastic kids  but I learned quiet a few things myself and found a new passion teaching cooking!  I am unbelievably excited to be a part of Camp Delicious again this summer.

Favorite Dish: Panzanella Salad - What’s better than loads of veggies, yummy bread, and delicious cheese?! (pictured right)

Best Cooking Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment and try to new flavors, especially when it comes to spices! I tend to try putting cinnamon on everything!  

NICOLE DESTEFANO, Camp Delicious Teaching Assistant

Nicole attends the University of Pittsburgh and is studying to be a Registered Dietitian. She was raised on a small farm in New York and traveled to Italy every other summer to visit her family (and eat delicious foods.) Growing up in an Italian family, food was a part of life. Fifty-Four years ago Nicole's grandparents immigrated to America, like so many before them, in hopes of a better life, and bought a farm. She considers herself an extreme food enthusiast and feels so fortunate to be a part of the Camp Delicious team.

Nicole is new to the Camp Delicious! team, and she is really looking forward to sharing her passion for food, and more importantly, to pass on the message that food is something to be enjoyed and can be really fun!

Favorite Dish: Every time I went to Italy, my Uncle would make sure that our fridge had all the ingredients for us to make Arancini (rice balls) together. My Uncle Angelo, Zia Francesca, my sister, my mom and I would sit around the table all with a specific job, someone to make the rice into a ball shape, another to stuff it with pees, meat and cheese, someone to egg it and bread it. To make one batch of Arancini’s it would take hours but every second was worth it!

Best Cooking Tip: Experiment with a recipe! Make it your own and have fun with it. No recipe is ever written in stone so don’t be afraid to try something different.

MCKENNA ELDER, Camp Delicious Teaching Assistant

McKenna is a junior Nutritional Sciences major with a focus in the Dietetics Option at Pennsylvania State University. She will graduate from Penn State University in May 2016.  McKenna works at the Diet Assessment Center on campus. She is a Nutrition Interviewer who obtains 24-hour recalls through phone interviews from varying populations ranging from 6 to 60 years of age. Once she graduates with a Bachelor's Degree in Nutritional Sciences, she plans to pursue a career in Sports Nutrition or Pediatric Nutrition. 

McKenna is new to the Camp Delicious team this year, but she hopes to advance her skills by helping teens learn the basic skills needed for cooking. She also hopes to educate teens on the importance of eating healthy as well as provide them with the knowledge needed to chose healthy foods. 

Favorite Dish: Grilled salmon and asparagus (pictured right)

Best Cooking Tip: Store spices in a cool, dark, place, not above your stove. Humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor.