Chef Stefania Patinella has seventeen years of experience teaching nutrition and healthful cooking to diverse audiences, from children and families to health care professionals. She was Founding Director of the Go!Healthy cooking, nutrition education, and gardening programs at The Children’s Aid Society, a nonprofit serving 70,000 children and families each year in New York City. There she also developed a model meal program for children, replacing all processed foods with whole-foods, plant-based recipes cooked from scratch. She also served as Executive Chef at Amherst College, where she oversaw a meal program for 1,800 students that sought to balance health, sustainability and culturally diversity. Stefania received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and MA in Health Arts and Sciences from Goddard College. She also completed her Chef’s training at the Natural Gourmet Institute and studied herbalism at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism. Mostly, though, she’s a humble lover of plants—from seed to table.

Alexandra Romey is the Culinary Developer at Saxbys, a coffee café with twenty-five locations in and around Philadelphia. She is a graduate of the Culinary Arts program at Drexel University, where she assisted in the founding of the Food Lab. She filed her first patent for a gluten free baking technology and has published more than 100 recipes. Alexandra has been recognized by Foodservice Director Magazine, has received the Edible Philly’s Local Hero Award, and was named one of Billy Penn’s Young Chefs to Watch in 2017. She has recently completed her Masters of Education at Drexel University in Creativity and Innovation.

Hilary McClafferty, MD, FAAP, is board-certified in pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, and integrative medicine. She serves as Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, at the Tucson Medical Center in Arizona. Dr. McClafferty is the Founding Director of the Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency program at the University of Arizona, and immediate past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Integrative Medicine. She is chair of the Special Interest Group for Physician Health and Wellness in the Academy, and a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine. Dr. McClafferty has authored two textbooks: Integrative Pediatrics: Art, Science, and Clinical Application, and Mind-Body Medicine in Clinical Practice.

Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, is Professor in the Center for Food and Hospitality Management and Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University. He was the James Beard Foundation Impact Fellow, leading a national curriculum effort on food waste reduction for chefs and culinary educators and was named a food waste warrior by FoodTank. He is the author or editor of eight books including Barbecue: A Global History (with Megan Elias), Culinary Improvisation, and Gastropolis: Food and Culture in New York City (with Annie Hauck-Lawson). Deutsch has also authored numerous articles in journals of food studies, public health, and hospitality education. He earned his PhD in food studies and food management from New York University, his culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America, and is an alumnus of Drexel University. A classically trained chef, Deutsch worked in a variety of settings including product development, small luxury inns, and restaurants. When not in the kitchen, he can be found behind his tuba.

Maria R. Mascarenhas, MBBS, is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, considered the leading pediatric hospital in the United States. She serves as the Director of the Nutrition Support Service, Section Chief of Nutrition in the Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department, Medical Director of the Healthy Weight Program and Director of the Integrative Health Program. She is board-certified and fellowship-trained in pediatrics, nutrition and pediatric gastroenterology and certified in clinical hypnosis. She is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.