MEET INGRID FREEMAN

Having lived in Coral Gables, Florida for several years, I discovered that the most delectable food in the world is found in and around Miami. Nothing compares to the atmosphere of food, music and people. One of those people who emcompasses all qualities is Ingrid Hoffman who showcases her incredible talent on Food Network .With a name like Ingrid Hoffman you'd never expect she is of Latin descent. Her cooking videos are superb and her recipes are "delicioso!" Here's more about her.


Learn how to spice up your meals with Latin flavors

Ingrid Hoffmann is passionate about food and entertaining and spends each day sharing her enthusiasm and talent with an international audience. Her recipes and entertaining ideas are showcased in her Food Network series, Simply Delicioso. In addition, Ingrid hosts her Spanish language cooking and lifestyle show, Delicioso (www.delicioso.com), on Galavision/Univision and is gearing up for her cookbook, Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist (February 2008, Clarkson Potter/Random House).

Ingrid's obsession with food, cooking and style began as a little girl. She started cooking with her mother, a Cordon Bleu chef, at such a young age that she needed a stool to reach the stove. With her mother she discovered not only a love of cooking, but found a flair for entertaining, and in no time developed her own distinctive style.

Raised in Colombia, Ingrid moved to Miami where she opened La Capricieuse, a high fashion luxury boutique in Miami's Coconut Grove. Soon after, the store grew into a chain of four boutiques with a flagship on the island of Aruba, as well as a men's shop in Miami.

Her infatuation with food was so strong that Ingrid returned to her passion, and opened Rocca, the first restaurant to feature tabletop cooking on heated lava rocks. Within weeks, Rocca was touted as a hot destination for Miami's movers and shakers - it was even featured on Robin Leach's Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Ingrid also became one of Miami's premier live event planners with a client list that included M&M Mars, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Thomas Maier and Comercio.com.

While both businesses thrived, she had the opportunity to host a cooking segment on a local Miami-area TV show. Executives at Univision were so impressed that they offered her a bi-weekly cooking and style segment on Despierta America, the most popular morning show in the US Hispanic market, and the number two morning show in the US (after Today Show).

Ingrid launched her own show, Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffmann, on DirecTv in September 2005, which propelled her popularity to new heights. In November 2006, the show premiered in its second season on a new network - Galavision. Each episode centers around a theme that Ingrid uses to connect segments on menu planning, shopping, cooking and decorating. The show's light-hearted, interactive style draws in viewers for both Ingrid's talents as well as her vibrant personality. Regular appearances by three pound Salsita, Ingrid's charismatic dog adds to the lively environment.

Aside from hosting her English and Spanish-language shows, Ingrid appears regularly on Univision's Despierta America, contributes her decorating and cooking expertise regularly to BuenHogar, the Spanish version of Good Housekeeping, and publishes a bi-monthly syndicated column in the Rumbo chain of Spanish daily newspapers.