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Dianna grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of Jamaican parents. At age 6, she started helping her mom in the kitchen, stirring the cheese sauce for her mom’s scrumptious mac & cheese. In middle school, she took home economics, where she learned the technical terms for what she’d been doing all along in the kitchen. The cheese sauce in her mom’s mac & cheese was a bechamel.
After a first career (1st corporate job) ***** in healthcare, Dianna decided to go to culinary school. Her first professional restaurant job was as a prep cook in Lincoln Center. In 2017, she moved to Atlanta and worked as a sous chef at Georgia Tech. But between a fall at work and COVID, Dianna found herself out of work. As a single mom, she needed to get creative.
So, she founded It’s Baked Baby, **** where customers select from a variety of toppings over a base choice of Russet potato, sweet potato, fries, tostones, sweet potato fries, fried cauliflower, or mixed greens. In 2022, she was invited to compete on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.” But, she found herself working 10-14 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was too much and after a year & a half she closed her stall. Should this be before the show mention? *****
Today, Dianna caters, does corporate gig work ***** and is a regular at Chow à la Carte. Do you also have another job we should mention or do you cook full time?
Stamp and Go
In the Caribbean, codfish are preserved in salt (aka saltfish). These fritters get their name from 18th-century British sailing officers who would order "Stamp and Go" when they wanted something done in a hurry. Dianna puts her twist on them by adding cornmeal to her batter, turning the fritters into hush puppies. Served with a tangy tamarind sauce. Gluten-free and Vegan fritters are available
Jamaican Chicken Soup
Is there a culture that doesn’t have their own version of chicken soup? Every fall, Dianna’s mom would cook this comforting soup. This dish warms the body and soothes the soul. This traditional chicken soup features chicken thighs, carrots, potatoes, yam, pumpkin, and homemade dumplings. Gluten-free a
Dianna grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of Jamaican parents. At age 6, she started helping her mom in the kitchen, stirring the cheese sauce for her mom’s scrumptious mac & cheese. In middle school, she took home economics, where she learned the technical terms for what she’d been doing all along in the kitchen. The cheese sauce in her mom’s mac & cheese was a bechamel.
After a first career (1st corporate job) in healthcare, Dianna decided to go to culinary school. Her first professional restaurant job was as a prep cook in Lincoln Center. In 2017, she moved to Atlanta and worked as a sous chef at Georgia Tech. But between a fall at work and COVID, Dianna found herself out of work. As a single mom, she needed to get creative.
So, she founded It’s Baked Baby, where customers select from a variety of toppings over a base choice of Russet potato, sweet potato, fries, tostones, sweet potato fries, fried cauliflower, or mixed greens. In 2022, she was invited to compete on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.” But, she found herself working 10-14 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was too much and after a year & a half she closed her stall. Should this be before the show mention?
Today, Dianna caters, does corporate gig work and is a regular at Chow à la Cartend vegan soups available
Callaloo
Whether you spell it callaloo, kallaloo, calaloo, calaloux or callalloo, these greens are popular across the Caribbean Callaloo can refer to the large green leaves of the taro, dasheen, tannia, amaranth, or yautia root as well as the dish made with the greens. Dianna uses amaranth greens and cooks them with onion, red pepper, and country pepper (aka habanero). Vegan and Gluten-free.
4 Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese
While most of her signature dishes are Jamaican, Dianna is known for her 4-cheese Mac & Cheese. The Cavatappi (corkscrews.) noodles are the perfect vehicle for white cheddar, sharp yellow cheddar, Havarti, and Gouda cheeses. Gluten-free and Vegan Mac & Cheese available
Jerk Chicken with Coconut Jasmine Rice and Jalapeño, Pineapple Slaw
Jerk chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Jamaica. Dianna creates her own, homemade jerk sauce and pairs the chicken with coconut-scented jasmine rice and a slaw made with raw cabbage, pineapple, and Palmers Picklez – her sweet & spicy pickled jalapeños. Gluten-free. Vegan: Jerk Mushrooms
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding w/ Caribbean Rum Sauce
Caribbean sweet potatoes are sweeter than the typical American variety, making them perfectly suited for desserts. This dessert is a Caribbean classic made with Hawaiian sweet bread, sweet potatoes, cream, raisins, cinnamon and other spices. Served à la mode with a drizzle of a dark rum sauce. Gluten-free and Vegan version available