Florentina Seitz was born in
General Acha, La Pampa Province, on 19 June 1927, the daughter of
Volga Germans Enrique and Barbara Seitz. Her childhood was spent between La Pampa and
Coronel Suárez, and later in her father's fields in the south of
Córdoba Province. In 1944, at age 16, she entered the
Sisters of the Holy Cross Menzingen, where she received the name María Bernarda, in honor of the congregation's founder,
Bernarda Heimgartner. She lived in Germany and Switzerland in 1986 and 1987, to study cooking and reconnect with her family's origins. She rose to fame in 2000, with the debut of her program
Dulces Tentaciones on Elgourmet.com. Rather than shooting on a set, Seitz cooked in the kitchen of the convent where she lived. She taught viewers how to prepare typical German meals in a simple way, maximizing the use of resources. Despite her status as a Catholic nun, in her programs she referred to God in a way unrelated to a specific religion. Her show became a ratings hit and was shown twice a week. Her 2003 book
100 recetas: cocina y meditación was a major success, selling 200,000 copies. Some time later, she came to broadcast television, where she hosted her own program on
América TV. In 2003, Elgourmet.com brought her back to host
Saladas Tentaciones (Savory Temptations), the second edition of
Dulces Tentaciones. She made frequent appearances on
Mirtha Legrand's program, often cooking dishes for the other guests. Seitz died from a
stroke on 16 June 2014. ==Books==