The Charger Blog

Director of Health Services Has Written Cookbook, Produced Internet Cooking Series

Get to know Paula Cappuccia, director of health services at the University of New Haven, and see what fuels her passion for helping people.

July 16, 2019

By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Image of Paula Cappuccia and her family meet Pluto.
Paula Cappuccia and her family meet Pluto.

The lifeblood of the University of New Haven are the faculty and staff members who dedicate their lives to helping our students reach their goals. Periodically, we’ll introduce you to a member of the staff so you can learn more about him or her – beyond their day-to-day work. Next up is Paula Cappuccia, director of health services.

Renee Chmiel: What is your favorite book? What do you like about it?
Paula Cappuccia: "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austin because I love that period of English history.

Image of Paula Cappuccia
Paula Cappuccia and her granddaughter, Stella.

RC: If you did not work in Health Services, what do you think you would like to do?
PC: I originally wanted to become a kindergarten teacher. I love being around people and getting to know them and helping them. I also love helping children in that age range learn new things like their letters and numbers.

RC: What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
PC: I have a cooking series on the internet, Cooking with Kenshin1913, that I film with my son, and we wrote a cookbook together. We have also gone to some craft fairs and sold many of our books to the public.

Image of Paula Cappuccia
Paula Cappuccia visiting Italy with her family.

RC: If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?
PC: That’s a tough one. After getting over the shock of winning, I would most likely take a vacation to Europe, and then I would help out my family.

RC: What is the most courageous thing you have ever done?
PC: I wouldn’t say it is the most courageous thing, but once I went up in a hot air balloon. I was a little afraid of heights, so it was kind of scary. It ended up being a delightful time and really enjoyable. I would love to go again.

RC: What totally grosses you out?
PC: Snakes! "Why did it have to be snakes?" – Indiana Jones