You May Have Spotted This Bravoleb on the New Season of Food Network Star

Ready, set, cook: The Real Housewives of Miami alum Ana Quincoces is ready to put her culinary skills to the test. The cookbook author, chef, and creator of the Skinny Latina line is a finalist on Season 12 of Food Network Star, which premiered on May 22. She's one of 11 remaining chefs vying for the chance to win the competition series and get his or her own cooking show in the process.

Ahead of the new season, Ana spoke to Food Network about the chance to compete on the series, noting that she has a certain strength in the kitchen that may help her stand out from the rest of the pack. "Making something from nothing. I will go into a kitchen with bare cupboards and very little in the refrigerator and I can make something really great," she said. "It's kind of like a challenge. I think if you go to the grocery store and buy every single ingredient you need to make a meal ... anybody can do that. So if I have something, some starting point, I will kind of figure something out with whatever's available. That and the fact that I'm fast in the kitchen. I think I have an ability to balance flavors really well. Different dimensions of flavors and different layers of flavor. I think ... the hallmark of Cuban cooking is very much like that. So, I think I have that ability."

Maria is ready to show off her culinary skills on Food Network Star.

And if viewers are wondering what Ana likes to chow down on late at night, she revealed she usually gives into her sweet tooth. "I'm a sugar addict. It's so bad. So anything with a lot of cream cheese frosting ... anything that's a vehicle for cream cheese frosting, whether it's red velvet cake or carrot cake or hummingbird cake or pistachio cake, you name it," she said. "If it has a lot of cream cheese frosting on it, that's my thing."

Below, Ana opens up a bit more about her love of food.

Check out some throwback photos of the Miami chef.