Deeply rooted in her Southeast Queens community, Dianna has committed her life to increasing access to healthy living. Over the past 15 years, she has launched multiple initiatives to reconnect people to the planet – from a Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises (WMBE)-certified zero-waste catering company, to an online platform for sustainability content, to the first community farmers’ market and commercial kitchen in the Southeast Queens neighborhood.

Dianna’s farmers’ market and community kitchen have become an economic driver for local food entrepreneurs. Sovereign Markets launched in 2020 during the height of the Pandemic at the Laurelton Long Island Railroad Station, supporting local food businesses and artisans. But while some concessionaires were able to scale to brick-and-mortar stores, others struggled, and Dianna knew there was more to be done.

In 2021 Dianna opened Essential Kitchen Co. to help more entrepreneurs formalize and scale their businesses. The first-of-its-kind commercial kitchen in the neighborhood, Essential Kitchen Co is filling a gap in a historically disinvested community. Dianna is building more pathways – like a partnership with JFK – to support food businesses at her commercial kitchen register as WMNE, buy supplies collectively, and win contracts to grow across Southeast Queens and beyond.