“We would have cookoffs, and one day I brought banana pudding, and they loved it,” Prator said. “One of them said, ‘This is so good you could sell it!’”
A self-proclaimed born entrepreneur, Prator said she knew she was destined to start her own business from a young age. After she came up with a small pudding menu in 2006, she began selling it at local bake sales and community events and launched a food truck in California. After a few ups and downs running her business, Prator relocated November 2021 to Pearland, where she opened her first brick-and-mortar location.
“I didn’t know there was such a demand, but there is a huge demand for shipping pudding,” Prator said. “But right now my main focus is on my local customers.”
Prator said the local community around her has made a tremendous impact on her business.
“I just can’t describe how it feels to be in a place where I am not from and people rally around me,” Prator said.
Customer service is crucial to Prator. She said as a small business owner, she appreciates people showing up for something she dreamed about in 2006. She said people do more for her than she could ever do for them. She said she enjoys being able to stay open late if that means someone gets the dessert they want.
“I am so honored that there is a mix in the community of every different background, every nationality,” Prator said. “And they all say, ‘We are here for the pudding!’”
With over 30 different flavors of pudding, Prator is constantly creating new recipes to add to the menu. In February, she added “cheesecake on a stick” to her menu.
“I am honored that people trust me [and] spend their hard-earned money with me,” Prator said.
The Puddery
5517 Broadway St., Ste. M, Pearland
832-806-9044
www.thepuddery.com
Hours: Tue.-Fri. noon-7 p.m., Sat. 1-7 p.m., Sun. 1-6 p.m., closed Mon.
