Approaching 10th anniversary, local businesswoman looking to expand mother’s sweet recipe
By Thomas Sellers Jr., W10 News Editor
A mother’s love is timeless.
Recipes from her can last decades, and the inspiration of Ms. Murlean and her daughter Tiffany Lewis gave birth to a business almost 10 years ago. Today Nana’s Pudding has a devoted following in North Shelby County from Frayser to Bartlett.
The next hopeful step for the business is a physical location and being a part of a mobile food service menu. Nana’s Pudding was born several years ago in the kitchen of Murlean.
“It was inspired by my mother,” Tiffany noted. “Mom used to make banana pudding when I was a kid. We only got desserts like that on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“I remember my mom being in the kitchen with that double broiler making that pudding,” she continued. “It would smell so good. That was my favorite dessert out of everything growing up. It was the best. I don’t think I ever knew anything about instant pudding, because that was not what I grew up with. Mom did it the old fashion way.”
Murlean’s little girl has grown up into a businesswoman cooking up pudding offerings like Honkey Tonk (peanut butter), Coconut Island, Strawberry Delight, Tropical Island, Banana-less Pudding, and a sugar-free edition of Nana’a Pudding.
“It’s a blessing and I am proud of her,” Murlean said. “I didn’t know she was going to take heed to what I was doing. But I am thankful to God He put it on her heart to do this. I am grateful for it.”
It was a few years ago Murlean passed the baton to her daughter on making pudding and gave her official blessing to pursue this dream.
“Anything my mom thinks I make better than her, she retires from making it,” Tiffany noted. “She has passed the torch to me. It’s a big honor. It feels good to know that I got it. I’ve worked so hard to get it.”
Chasing that childhood flavor was sparked in Tiffany early in her adulthood. The taste from the slow-process style of pudding made by her mom set a high standard for Tiffany.
“I would always get my mom to try it and she would say, ‘That’s it Tip,’” she recalled. “I would think every time, ‘I’m missing something. It’s missing something.’ I could remember the taste. It’s all about that taste, I would taste when I was a child.
“Back in 2014, it was pressed on me to really do banana pudding,” Tiffany continued. “I was like, ‘I live in the South. Everybody makes banana pudding.’ I kind of laughed it off. I believe the Lord put it on my heart heavily to do this. I thought if I am going to make banana pudding I have to be creative. I have to come up with something. I began to create different flavors.”
Tiffany transformed her kitchen into a laboratory and experimented with peanut butter, strawberry and tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and toasted coconut. She even stumbled on a pudding called PBJ when she combined leftover strawberry and peanut butter.
“My dream is to eventually have my own storefront,” she acknowledged. “Not only that, I’ve always wanted to be on QVC. I want the world to know about it.
“I have enjoyed it thoroughly and learning the business has its challenges,” Tiffany added. “Anytime you’re first generation, you’re learning on the fly. I don’t have anyone. I could just pick up the phone and call about the next step.”
Tiffany said a huge help in her future endeavors would be linking up with a business mentor to advise her on the next steps for Nana’s Puddings.
So far the lessons provided by Ms. Murlean have helped Tiffany get Nana’s off the ground.
“Mom’s advice was consistency,” she noted. “It must be consistent. That is something that I have definitely worked on if I have one order or a thousand orders. It’s the consistency. The quality has to be there. That’s something she drilled into me, ‘Tiffany it has to be consistent.’”
For three years Nana’s Puddings has been a dependable part of the Bartlett Farmers Market at Freeman Park. Tiffany has added festivals and events to her agenda over the years.
“My goal is to get more into the corporate world,” she added. “I do some events. I enjoy that so my goal is to build, grow and get Nana’s out there even more.”
The year 2024 will be the 10th anniversary of Nana’s Pudding going public. Tiffany and her inspiration Murlean hopes they will celebrate another milestone that year.
“A storefront, I would definitely love that,” Tiffany said. “I am open to wherever because wherever I am planted I will flourish. It will be a great location whether it’s in Millington, Bartlett, Arlington, Germantown or wherever. They will come for the product.
“The more I can get it out there, it is a great product,” she concluded. “I’ve really worked hard at it. If I can make you smile and it can take you back to grandma, big mama, nana, memaw I have done my job. You eat that banana pudding and smile, I have done my job.”
To contact Tiffany or to order pudding, email [email protected]
For more information or to get some of Nana’s Pudding, visit them on Facebook, Instagram or www.nanaspudding.com.
