We had the good fortune of connecting with Dria Reece and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dria, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2012, I decided I wanted to be the best version of myself, for my daughter. I needed to make a lifestyle change for the better, so I started cooking healthy foods and dieting. I found that I loved this new lifestyle and could turn it into a business, thus Dining with Dria LLC was born. My support system of friends and family really helped push me into turning my new lifestyle change into a business. When transitioning from cooking for myself to cooking 500+ meals a week, the most important thing to me was to keep #DWD unique from competitors. I’ve been able to accomplish this by putting out a new menu weekly to reframe the idea of eating healthy as being repetitive and boring. We also pride ourselves on providing meals that are LOW SODIUM and BIG FLAVOR!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Dining with Dria LLC stands out amongst competitors because we provide the community with BIG FLAVOR & LOW SODIUM healthy, portioned meals. #DWD has changed the narrative of “healthy food is bland & expensive.” To see our Dining Divas & Dudes enjoy our meals & our Everything BUT SALT All Purpose Seasoning, while hitting their weight loss goals is the best feeling in the world. Just knowing we helped our #DWD family establish a healthy lifestyle change is by far the most rewarding aspect of this business.

I will say that Dining with Dria LLC has made a large impact fairly quickly. People believe in and support the brand. We are black-owned and we make healthy eating tasty, easy, and affordable! We thrive off of our returning clients and their family and friend referrals. Once someone becomes a Dining Dude or Diva, they stick with us! I would say the most challenging aspect of the business is the “behind the scenes.” It is a delicate act of checks and balances, inventory, ensuring our new weekly menus meet our customers’ standards, cooking 13-15 hour days, etc. There is no manual for running an authentic, self-made business, but you learn as you grow. Dining With Dria LLC is larger than me; people count on us to help them with their healthy lifestyle journey. My customers keep me going and make it easy to never give up!

Ultimately, know that our bold flavors speak for themselves. Not only do we offer perfectly portioned meals to fit your taste buds, we also have our EVERYTHING BUT SALT All Purpose Seasoning. Our seasoning is a bold herb blend with a smoky accent for the purpose of heightening or improving the flavor of food without any sodium additive. Whether cooking is your hobby or you’re just learning, our seasoning is all you need.

And as any Dining Diva or Dude will tell you, if it ain’t fresh, I don’t want it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If my bestie came to H-Town for the weekend, we would have a Sunday Funday! I love Sundays; it’s my favorite day to hang out when I’m not cooking. There’s always so much to do and Houston has FANTASTIC brunch spots!

My best friend and I would wake up (late!) and start with one of my go-to brunch spots like Taste Bar & Kitchen, State Fare Kitchen, or Breakfast Klub. Being the foodie I am, it’s all about good vibes & great food; these spots do not disappoint!

Not only do I eat healthy, I live healthy too. My best friend knows that better than anyone and would be down to work off some of those calories with me! We would jump on a third ward bike tour and soak up some vitamin D while exploring historic third ward of Houston.

After a nice bike ride comes treats! #DWD will never tell you to not treat yourself. All hard work deserves a reward! My all-time favorite guilty pleasures are the finest macarons in the city from Tout Suite and some artistic soft-serve with the most unique flavors and toppings from Bae Ice Cream.

Bestie and I would end our evening with great music, modern eats, creative cocktails, and good vibes at Lost and Found or Belle Station, both located in the heart of Midtown. The perfect ending to our amazing Sunday Funday!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I would love to shout out my hardworking, supportive team and my amazing #DWD Divas and Dudes! I could not run this business by myself and I love and appreciate my executive assistant/daughter Khloe, my partner/master chef Shay Bessard, my marketing team DeElena Designs, and my amazing delivery drivers!!

We are the dream team! My #DWD Divas and Dudes are who I work so hard for every week and I appreciate their continued support both through ordering weekly and sharing my posts on social media!

Website: www.diningwithdria.com

Instagram: @diningwithdriatx

Facebook: @diningwithdria

Other: Diningwithdria@yahoo.com

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