Anyone is welcome at Diane Leary’s dinner table.

After attending church at Concord Baptist and singing in the choir, Leary heads back home to prepare a table for whoever may show up. Leary, better known as MeMe to her family and her followers, has embarked on a heartfelt mission to reach people with God’s love through her cooking.

As a child, her mother’s tradition of cooking a large meal every Sunday created a special time for the family to gather and connect. This tradition deeply resonated with Leary, who continued it with her own family. “We always had Sunday lunch together, and my mama always cooked a big meal,” she said. “It’s very important for me, for my family to be together.”

Beginning MeMe’s Kitchen

Leary’s grandchildren wanted to learn her recipes to preserve the family’s culinary traditions, prompting Diane to start documenting her cooking methods. She began writing a cookbook and posting cooking videos on multiple social media platforms, naming the business, “MeMe’s Kitchen.” With the help of her family, this idea gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had more time to dedicate to this project.

Diane’s efforts culminated in the first edition of her cookbook, “Sunday Lunch with MeMe,” which she gifted to her family for Christmas. Leary also donates a portion of the profits from each cookbook to missions. “The Lord has truly blessed it and it has just been far more than we could have ever expected,” she said.

Cooking as a Ministry

What started as a way to share family recipes has blossomed into a thriving ministry. Her followers appreciate her simple, heartfelt approach to cooking and the way she weaves God’s love into every aspect of her content, ending each video by saying, “Shine for Jesus.” She said, “I consider myself a kitchen missionary. I serve, love, and encourage others by cooking.”

Her cooking videos and social media posts emphasize the importance of family time and the joy of being together. “My meals are very simple,” she said. “I like to inspire families to gather around the table, tell stories, have laughter, and just enjoy a meal together.”

A Touch of God’s Love in Every Meal

For Leary, one of the most rewarding parts of the work is how it has touched the lives of those she will most likely never meet in person. Across her platforms, she has nearly 750,000 followers and her videos have received millions of views. What began as a project to create an heirloom cookbook turned into her videos being shared around the world.

She recalled a man from Arkansas sharing that her videos inspired him to get involved with his church again. He told her that he recognized a joy in her that his life had been missing. Because of her influence, he is attending and serving through his church again. “That’s better than anything, any cooking compliment that I could have ever gotten,” Leary said. “We’re just doing cooking, but the testimonies that we have received from people have been totally unbelievable.”

A Growing Ministry

“Food is one of the languages that we all speak and enjoy, and being together is our main thing,” she said. “We just love to be at the table and share God’s love for each one of us.”

Leary’s mission with MeMe’s Kitchen is clear: to inspire families to be together, share God’s love, and enjoy good food. Her story is a beautiful example of how faith can transform ordinary activities into extraordinary ministries. As she continues to share her recipes and stories, she creates a legacy of love, faith, and community that will inspire generations to come.