Dianne Light
Good food, good music, good people, good address, and a good boss – altogether it makes for a great place. Dianne’s on Devine began on Assembly Street between the railroad tracks and SCE&G’s assembly yard. Looking back on her beginnings, the original location might not have been all that good, but the other factors had to have been great because Dianne’s flourished, so much so she had to move to larger quarters on Devine Street.
Dianne Light was born in Columbia’s Providence Hospital while her father was in the Air Force. Her parents had three more children after Dianne, two more girls and a boy. After his stint in the Air Force, Light’s father spent a career at Columbia’s Southern Scales Restaurant Equipment.
Her mother worked for Dr. Gibson at Economy Drugs in Five Points, and she managed the first years of Gibson’s Gift Shop on Saluda. She later worked in administration for St. Joseph’s and then for the Richland County Sheriff ‘s Department.
After kindergarten at St. Peter’s and grammar school at St. Joseph’s, Light spent her junior high grades at Hand and finished high school at Dreher.
Light took off for the beach, like everyone else, just after high school graduation, after which she moved into the working world full- time that same summer. She began with United Insurance Company on Devine Street, and from there, moved up in the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
After the Chamber, Light went in with her friend Ellon Williams on a boutique and wig salon, Casa D’El, on Devine Street almost at Harden Street across from the Goodie Shoppe.
She and her former husband, Jack Jackson, went to work for George LaBrasca of Charleston. LaBrasca had a pizza operation in Charleston and another on Jackson Boulevard in Columbia, both called LaBrasca’s.
Learning the restaurant business and managing two little daughters, Light and her husband expanded LaBrasca’s and also opened Jesudi’s across the street. A clear couple of success stories, the restaurants were sold, and Light divorced her husband as she moved into the interior design business.
She worked for Johnny Yates at Builders Specialties, but she missed the restaurant business. Her brother Andy, a psychology teacher at USC, went in with her on The Loft in Five Points, which they ran for another 18 months while she kept her position with Builders Specialty.
The team at Builders Specialty invited Light to lease a restaurant space on Assembly in their building between the tracks and SCE&G. Dianne’s on Devine began as simply Dianne’s in 1989.
Business took off, and Dianne’s needed more space. She relocated to Devine Street, and later she expanded next door into what was A. G. Floyd’s and earlier the Grazin’ Monkey.
About four years ago, Light was approached by her chef Bill Prato with the idea of a joint- venture delicatessen on Pickens Street in the Purple Cow building, still owned by Mr. Coplan of Coplan’s Grocery.
Prato’s idea called DiPrato’s delicatessen was another early success, even though its hours were limited by its neighbors across the street.
Among many loyal employees and associates at Light’s restaurants, two stand out as public persona: Chef Prato and singer Ross Holmes.
Chef Prato learned his skills at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and he refined his skills during 15 years in Miami before walking into Dianne’s on Devine, thinking it was a stopover as he worked his way back to New York.
Singer Ross Holmes began with Light when Dianne’s was on Assembly, and 16 years later he still sings every week on Devine.
Dianne’s has a charity jazz night scheduled for April 26, featuring Eboniramm on vocals, Jenna McSwain on piano, and Phil Harris on bass.
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