Letty Holmbo knows her way around a kitchen. On a recent Tuesday, she flitted around a mini-kitchen on the set of San Antonio's CBS affiliate news show, Great Day SA, giving instructions on how to prepare the perfect pork tenderloin and chutney.
While the pork sizzled, Holmbo explained the benefits of eating beets. Two of her children, Ashton, 6, and Isabella, 8, watched on nearby bleachers in the studio with their grandmother.
Her kids are the inspiration for many of her recipes. Holmbo makes sure to tell the audience that her son created the day's featured beverage, hibiscus lemonade.
In minutes the live broadcast is over, and Holmbo, hair falling out of a ponytail, spends more time cleaning up than she did cooking.
"My daughter, she's a superwoman," said her mother, Georgina Stewart. "I don't know how she does everything."
Indeed, Holmbo juggles being a mom of three—the youngest, Aaron, is a year old—with her full-time job as culinary corporate dietitian for H-E-B Grocery in San Antonio. She develops recipes for companywide marketing materials, such as My Texas Life. She also oversees corporate nutrition programs, does occasional TV spots, and develops programs for community nutrition outreach efforts. Outside of H-E-B, she provides nutrition consultation for the Autism Treatment Center and volunteers at her church.
"I'm one of those people that loves all kinds of jobs and ideas," Holmbo said. She also loves mentoring people who are interested in nutrition and dietetics.
Holmbo's passion for nutrition was recently recognized by Today's Dietician, which named her one of the top 10 dieticians in the country.
She graduated from Taft High School in San Antonio and earned a bachelor of science degree in nutrition from the University of the Incarnate Word. Later, she earned her Executive M.B.A. from UTSA.
"I always loved cooking, and I love food, so I figured, why not?" she said. "What I really love about being a dietician is the versatility in whatever you do. You can find whatever fits your personality and your family."
–Lety Laurel