“This is home. And I love it here. It’s a tight community.”
Dyana Elbattah’s story begins in the Middle East, where she was born in Jordan before moving to Kingston at just one year old. Her parents came to Northeastern Pennsylvania in search of a better lifestyle for Dyana and her three brothers and sister, joining her uncle who was attending college in the U.S.
A Wyoming Valley West graduate, Dyana built a career in IT with Apple. She and her husband, who grew up in Dubai and later moved from California, now live in West Pittston, where they raise their two children, Zara and Sammy.
After her daughter’s premature birth and months in the NICU during COVID, Dyana was looking for something that brought her happiness. What began with chocolate bombs and baklava pies quickly grew into a small business that outgrew her home kitchen. When she searched for a storefront, fate led her to the very same Kingston space where her late father once ran his carpet shop.
Today, that space is Hummus & Honey, where Dyana and her mom serve homemade Middle Eastern dishes and a rotating selection of her signature sweets. We sat down with Dyana—a gracious host who filled the table with food and drinks—as she shared her mother’s influence on her love of cooking and the joy she finds in feeding and connecting with her community. A neon sign on the wall reads “Ahla Wa Sahla”—make yourself at home—a welcome that perfectly reflects the space she’s created.
How long have you lived in NEPA?
My whole life.
What do you love about your town?
Everyone leaves and comes back. We all love it! I love the simplicity. It’s simple, you know what I mean? Everyone still has that family vibe. You’ve still got your soccer games with your kiddos. The small businesses are very supported around here, and I like that. It’s not overwhelming.
What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?
Hummus & Honey! I don’t really know what my favorite restaurant is — I eat a lot of my own food. I like Kevin’s. Bistro 174 is good too. AmberDonia — I like their pizza and their desserts. It’s a mix of everything. It depends on what we’re in the mood for: Chinese, Japanese, Italian. There’s a new one in Forty Fort, Café Apizza — that one’s really good. There are too many to name. I’m a foodie, so I don’t know if I could pick just one.
What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?
I love the fall season. We’re apple picking literally every week. I love going with my kids — I’m with them most of the time. They still want to hang out with mom, so it’s fun. We look for activities for the kids. Long Live Playtime is a big one for us. I look for outdoor things they can learn from. My kids are really into the sciences, crafts, animals, insects. Luckily around here you have so many things to do with kids. Edward’s Garden Center, too. Basically, most of my time is spent with my kids — and my husband, of course.
What’s next for you?
Growing this business. I love meeting new people — I’m meeting so many customers doing this, and I love them all. They become like family.A lot of them come in more than once a week, sit down, and we hang out and chat. What’s next for me is growing this while keeping that family vibe. We want to stay personal with our customers and make sure everyone feels cared about. We don’t want it to get too big, you know? But yes, we’d love to grow.
Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?
Oh, we’re getting so much bigger. Between all the new businesses opening recently and everyone putting their heart into making PA better — even DiscoverNEPA, with you guys going around finding places to show off and telling people, “Hey, here’s a hidden gem,” or “Here’s somewhere you should go” — it’s all helping the community. So many people are doing that now, especially with social media. There are so many new things. And the good thing is, we don’t have too many chains — we have more local businesses giving you the food, the arts, the playtime. There’s so much local stuff happening. So of course we’re going to keep growing with that.
Why NEPA?
This is home, and I love it here. It’s a tight community. There are people I haven’t seen in 20 years, and they walk in and they’re supportive. I love that about this town — it’s a small town, and you feel that. You get that one-on-one connection. It’s not rushed. It’s friendly. Here, people want to get to know you — that’s just how we are.
