My Story
Diane has been a home cook since age 9. Both of her parents worked and as the oldest of 3, she often found herself making creative snacks and baking to tie her and her younger siblings over after school.
Diane’s mother is a nurse so she talked a lot about healthy food choices and about nutrition. Diane is first generation Chinese American so she had to decipher the interesting Asian ingredients in her cupboard and refrigerator. She learned basic Chinese cooking concepts from her parents. Diane is extremely allergic to MSG, a flavor enhancer, so she also had to learn early on how to be very creative when it came to seasoning, and how to enhance the true favor profiles in her cooking.
She fell in love with food culture while attending college at NYU in New York City. Her then boyfriend’s family came from the restaurant industry and so Diane was introduced to fine dining and wine in one the best culinary cities in the world. She would enjoy beautifully presented decadent meals, expensive wines, and pristine service, and spectacular ambiance and decor.
While she loved all aspects of these experiences, her college budget wouldn’t allow for as much indulgence as she preferred. The food cravings didn’t go away so Diane began creating her own interpretations at home!
Over time, Diane found so much love for fine dining at home and has hosted many, many beautiful dinner parties. She has also catered everything from small private parties to events for 200+. Everywhere she went, people encouraged her to pursue further opportunities in the food industry. Diane cooks dishes from all different countries and she loves to surprise everyone with her proficiency and aptitude of so many cuisines. Diane loves the reaction from guests and friends that comes with tasting her creations. Her specialty is healthy, yet flavor rich dishes, and getting the most bang for your buck at the market!
Diane is also an actress and producer so HOIA Food and Cooking came about with the increased importance of social media presence in entertainment. Diane created HOIA (Healthy Organic Inspired Asian) because she wanted to demystify Asian cooking and show the audience that Asian food can be made healthy and delicious. She likes to give vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options and show how cooking can be pliable and fun!
She loves to entertain, produce, and teach so HOIA is the perfect platform to do just that. Diane hopes to create her own brand of organic Asian sauces, ingredients, non-toxic cookware for Asian food lovers to safely use and enjoy!
