CHEF LETICIA

Keeps Cooking Healthy and Flavorful

Growing up in Brazil, Chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz fell in love with cooking. But it was only during a vacation that she realized her hobby could become a career. “When I was visiting New York City, I discovered a cooking school called the French Culinary Institute,” she says. “That was when I had an epiphany that, my God, this is what I’ve been looking for my whole life!”

Branching out

Her decision to become a diabetes education advocate for Merck is also one about which she cares deeply. “This is a personal topic to me, because my grandfather died from complications of Type 2 diabetes,” Schwartz admits. “I also learned that almost 13 percent of Hispanic adults in the U.S. have this disease.”

In addition to encouraging people to work with their doctors, she says eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult. Her tips include using brown instead of white rice and eating turkey or chicken instead of red meat. “What I try to do is make people realize you don’t have to give up flavor to eat healthy.” ■