Reyna was born in Venezuela and moved to the US in 1995 to pursue her degree in Interior Design at UCLA. When Sammy, her future husband moved to NY to attend graduate school, she moved there to be closer to him. Before Reyna left Los Angeles, Sammy's mother, who was afraid Sammy would starve in NY without authentic Persian food, taught her the intimate secrets of Persian cuisine so she could cook for Sammy. (This was a super investment for Sammy's mom, because it obviated the need to FedEx frozen Persian food to NY!) She lives with her husband and five lively boys in Boston, MA.