Our Chefs
APPETIZER 1

Judith Roll
Judith Roll brings over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including ownership of Tabouli Grill and Judy’s BBQ Kitchen. A graduate at the top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America, Judith has worked as a Pastry Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Los Angeles and as the Chef and co-owner of Sweet on You Bakery & Cafe in Stamford, CT. Her culinary expertise has been showcased on The Martha Stewart Show and ABC Channel 7 News.
Judith’s travels to the Middle East—including Israel, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt—have deeply influenced her love of the region’s foods and culture, inspiring her creative approach to cooking and teaching.

Kate Sonders Solomon
Kate Sonders Solomon is a cooking instructor based in the Rivertowns, nestled along the Hudson River in Westchester. Kate grew up surrounded by delicious homemade food, but her love for cooking ignited during a transformative year studying in Florence, Italy, where one of the host moms gifted her patience, time, and love for cooking Italian food. She was enchanted by the community we built in her kitchen over bowls of slow cooked risotto, tiramisu, sauces, and pastas.
Now, Kate continues the tradition through hands-on cooking classes for all ages. Her approach is playful, down-to-earth, and focused on fostering connections in the kitchen. Whether teaching children or adults, she strives to make cooking a joyful and empowering experience, like cooking with a friend.
Prior to teaching cooking classes, Kate worked as a cheesemaking apprentice at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, New York, and as a researcher and writer on Molly O’Neill’s cookbook One Big Table. She began her culinary career post-college as a cook at Rialto Restaurant in Cambridge, MA. In addition to teaching cooking, Kate develops culinary curriculum for afterschool and preschool programs.
Kate is particularly passionate about all forms of dough—pastas, breads, cakes, and tarts—and loves baking and decorating treats for her family.
APPETIZER 2

Jill Santopietro
Jill Santopietro is a cooking instructor, food writer, and recipe developer. She is the founder and director of The Children’s FOOD LAB – offering fun, hands-on food arts and sciences discovery labs to New York school children. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg Pursuits, Epicurious.com and The Boston Globe, and she has worked on recipes for writers including Michael Pollan and Alex Guarneschelli. Prior to launching her freelance career, Jill worked at The New York Times Magazine, where she co-created and hosted The New York Times’ “Kitchen 4B” video series. She is passionate about educating kids (and their parents) on all things food — how it grows, how it’s processed, and the effect that has on us and our environment. She is a member of the Tisch Food Center Food Ed Hub. Jill is somewhat obsessed with anchovies and gelato (just not together).

Ronna Welsh
Ronna Welsh is the chef and owner of Purple Kale Kitchenworks, a mighty, little cooking school in Brooklyn, NY. She is also author of The Nimble Cook. Ronna has been cooking for over 25 years, in restaurants in New York City, as well as in pastry shops and restaurants in France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. Her recipes and food writing have been featured in publications, such as The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Saveur, the Washington Post, The Art of Eating, Martha Stewart, and more. She has been teaching cooking to people of all ages for the last 15 years.
APPETIZER 3

Stephanie Wright
Stephanie Wright is a multifaceted culinary professional whose expertise as an Ayurvedic chef, health counselor, culinary educator, and recipe developer informs her work as the founder of The Wright Methods. With a passion for culinary education as a vehicle for personal empowerment, Stephanie uses the kitchen as a platform for inspiring long-lasting behavior change and fostering deeper connections to where food originates.
Guided by a lifelong curiosity about the interplay between food, health, and wellness, Stephanie pursued in-depth studies in Ayurveda, an ancient science of life. Her qualifications include a 300-hour yoga teacher certification from Laughing Lotus, an Ayurvedic Nutrition and Culinary Certification from Bhagavat Life, and a 600-hour Ayurvedic Health Counselor Certification from Integral Yoga. This robust foundation allows her to merge traditional Ayurvedic principles with modern culinary practices.
Stephanie works as a freelance chef, event producer, and caterer, serving communities across Westchester, the Hamptons, and New York City. She emphasizes sourcing ingredients from local farmers, a principle that aligns with her role as Marketing Director for the NYC Agriculture Collective. Here, she champions sustainable food systems and strengthens ties between urban agriculture and local communities.
Through her work, Stephanie brings mindfulness, creativity, and sustainability to every table, transforming the way people view their relationship with food.

Anastasia Cabral
Anastasia Cabral is a culinary registered dietitian based in Brooklyn, NY, who brings her love for nutrition to life in the kitchen by creating simple, flavorful meals that are as good for you as they are delicious.
From 2021 to 2024, Anastasia served as the Teaching Kitchen Program Manager for FamilyCook Productions, a New York City-based nonprofit specializing in culinary nutrition education. There, she led cooking classes for individuals of all ages and discovered her passion for bringing people together through fresh, wholesome food—a mission that aligns perfectly with her values.
Today, Anastasia supports clients through nutrition counseling and personalized meal prepping, delivering balanced, flavorful meals that make eating well accessible and enjoyable. Her mission is to help people eat better, live better, and feel better—proving that nutritious and delicious truly belong on the same plate.
APPETIZER 4

Zach Berger
Former owner of Cultura Paraiso in Cusco Peru, Chef Zach Berger is focusing on his love of culinary adventure with private chef services and high-end catering. Chef Zach worked with teens at risk of placement in the social work world for almost 10 years in Ulster County while rocking as a chef. With passion of food and travel Zach brings flavors from regions all over the world while keeping his roots in the Hudson Valley very dear to him using fresh, local and foraged ingredients. Zach has created relationships with local farms and local makers to truly give you a culinary journey from the heart and home. Zach’s influence comes from his travel of over 25 countries. Currently zach spends his winter in Southeast Asia studying food and culture and cooking for people he has made connections with from his travels.

Karla Thompson
Karla Thompson is an accomplished cake decorator and passionate educator with a rich background in the arts. For many years, she dedicated herself to teaching art to school-aged children, nurturing their creativity and fostering a love for self-expression. This love for art naturally led her to a new journey in the culinary world, where she joined a large bakery and took over the decorating department.
After six successful years, Karla decided to pursue her dream of building her own business. Nearly a decade later, she has established herself as one of the most sought-after high-end cake decorators in Westchester County, known for her unique skills and artistic flair.
Karla finds joy not only in her work as a decorator but also in her role as an educator. She is excited to join the staff at Berkshire Hill Culinary Camp, where she looks forward to sharing her knowledge and inspiring the next generation of young bakers. With a strong belief in positive reinforcement and the creative expression of children, Karla is dedicated to helping her campers discover their own artistic voices through the art of cake decorating.