Connecting communities

A spotlight on Diverse Dining 

By: Allie Shane, Communications Specialist 

Food has the incredible power of bringing people together. Emerald Mills-Williams, the founder of Diverse Dining and Diverse Dining Market, is leveraging this power right here in the Milwaukee area. Launched in 2018, Diverse Dining breaks down barriers and fosters a community of acceptance through food and meaningful dialogue.  

“I wanted to create the type of world that I wished to see,” said Mills.  
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 Mills is an award-winning speaker, author and business strategist. She consults with corporations and various groups around the city, coordinating workshops and speaking engagements that align with each group’s specific needs.  
 
The event topics vary. Generational gaps in the workplace, vulnerability, navigating difficult discussions, equity and inclusion only scratch the surface of the impactful discussion topics available to Diverse Dining event attendees. At an initial meeting with each organization, Mills identifies what experience and topic best suits the group.  
 
“We have hard conversations,” said Mills. “It’s creating a level of community.” 
 
In 2020, Mills knew that she needed to continue pushing her mission of community connection amid times of social distancing and isolation. She created Diverse Dining Boxes. The boxes featured a self-guided version of her trainings and activities as well as local food products sourced from Upstart Kitchen, an incubator kitchen for local food entrepreneurs.  
 
It was this box initiative that sparked Mills passion to help local vendors succeed. In 2024 Mills opened Diverse Dining Market in the Two-Fifty building on 250 East Wisconsin Avenue. Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, the market hosts a rotation of local vendors. Diverse Dining Market operates in tandem with Mill’s consulting efforts. The vendors are used for Diverse Dining’s catering services.  
 
As her business continues to grow, Mills looks forward to collaborating with more Milwaukee businesses and the greater community, as well as welcoming new vendors into the Diverse Dining Market.  
 
What impactful conversation could your organization benefit from? Learn more about Diverse Dining here. 
 
Diverse Dining is the proud sponsor of MMAC’s Business After Hours event this Wednesday from 5-7 p.m., at Radio Milwaukee. Attendees can expect a wonderful evening of networking and delicious food catered by Diverse Dining. Register for the event today.