About Layered Love Gourmet

The Story Behind the Love (And the Pudding Obsession which led to the creation of The World's Greatest Pudding)

Look, I'm just going to say it: I have strong opinions about pudding.

Like, unreasonably strong opinions. The kind where if you serve me gummy, inconsistent, "made from a box" pudding, I will politely eat it and then go home and make my own version because I can't let it go.

Hi, I'm Kendra. Welcome to my therapy session—I mean, my dessert company. 

How This All Started: A Cookout Disaster

It was 2008. I was at a family cookout, minding my business, when someone served pudding that was... tragic. 

Gummy texture. Weird consistency. The kind of pudding that makes you question everything.

I went home that day and thought, "Why is good pudding so hard to find? And why am I this pressed about pudding?"

So I did what any normal person would do: I spent the entire evening in my kitchen making the pudding I wanted to exist in the world. Thick. Creamy. Consistent. The kind you can't stop eating even when you're supposed to be saving room for dinner.

I added it to the menu at my Dallas bakery (where I was doing sculpted cakes and dessert tables), and suddenly, the pudding became the main character. At events, it was the first thing to disappear. At family gatherings, people would literally text ahead: "Kendra, you're bringing the pudding, right? This is not optional."

And that's when I realized: pudding is my love language. Also possibly my superpower. I'm still figuring it out.

The Plot Twist Nobody Saw Coming

In 2013, life hit me with a curveball the size of Texas.

My daughter was born three months early. She spent 10 months in the NICU. Ten. Months.

I lived at that hospital. The bakery? On hold. Life? Paused. All that mattered was her. Those 10 months were the hardest, scariest, most isolating season of my life. 

If you've been there, you know. If you haven't, just trust me it's a lot.

But here's the thing about hard seasons: they either break you or they reshape you into someone who refuses to play small ever again.

When we finally came home when my daughter graduated from her trach and feeding tube and started thriving I knew I couldn't just go back to "normal." I wanted to build something with purpose baked in (pun absolutely intended). Something that honored what we'd been through. Something that gave back.

And honestly? I also just really needed to get back in the kitchen and make things again. That's where I process life. And apparently, where I make unreasonably good pudding.

The Vision: Pudding Meets Purpose

Fast forward to 2016. We were displaced living in a friend's spare bedroom (shoutout to friends who let you crash and use their kitchen to launch businesses). I'm displaced but determined.

I sat down with a notebook and sketched out the whole vision: gourmet pudding in jars, layered with this insane cookie crumble blend I'd perfected (vanilla wafers + butter cookies + graham crackers, all blended into crumbly heaven). 

I ordered hexagon jars (because regular jars are boring and I'm extra), went into her kitchen, and made my first batch.

The first jar was simple: vanilla bean pudding with cookie crumble. 

And I knew.

This is it.

My husband at the time started selling at Dallas farmers markets. Word spread. By 2017, we were in local mom-and-pop stores. By 2018? Central Market one of the best grocery chains in Texas had my pudding on their shelves.

People loved it. I loved making it. Life was good.

The Rebuild (AKA Starting Over, But Make It Charlotte)

Then life happened again. (Life really likes to keep things interesting for me, apparently.)

By 2020, I found myself starting over. New chapter. Same recipes. Same heart. Same ridiculous standards for pudding quality. I went back to Dallas Farmers Market under the name Dainty Puddings, it just didn't feel right.

In 2025, I packed up my daughter and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Fresh start. New city. New name.

I wanted a name that actually reflected what this business is: Layered Love Gourmet.

Because that's what every jar is layers of love, gourmet ingredients, and honestly way too much intention for a dessert. But that's how I roll.

And this time? I wanted to do more than just make killer pudding. I wanted to give back to the community that shaped me: NICU families.

Layered Love Cares: Where Pudding Meets Purpose 💜

Here's the deal: For every 10 jars sold, we donate a care package to a NICU family in Charlotte.

Each package includes:
- Comfort items for exhausted parents (journals, self-care stuff, things that remind them they're human)
- A gift card for food or gas (because NICU life is expensive and nobody tells you that)
- A handwritten note from me that basically says: "I've been there. You're not alone. You've got this."
- Resources for NICU family support (because information is power)

We are looking to partner with a local hospital to get these packages to families who need them most.

Why? Because I know what it's like to live in that hospital room. To feel invisible. To wonder if anyone sees how hard you're fighting.

These care packages are my way of saying: I see you. And you're not doing this alone.

Why Purple Lids? 💜 (Because Everything Means Something)

If you order from Layered Love Gourmet, you'll notice every jar has a purple lid.

That's not random. That's intentional.

Purple is the official color of NICU awareness. It represents the strength, resilience, and hope of premature babies and their families the Purple Warriors.

Every time you open a jar, you're reminded: this business was built on resilience. And together, we're helping other families find theirs.

Also, purple is just a really good color.💜

How This Actually Works (The Behind-the-Scenes Nobody Asks For But I'm Telling You Anyway)

Right now? I work a full-time job then I'm in my Charlotte kitchen handcrafting puddings and oatmeal cream pies like my life depends on it.

Here's the weekly rhythm:

Thursday evening: Prep night. Baking cookies, making cookie crumbles, blasting music, getting in the zone.

Friday evening: Pudding-making night. Everything from scratch. Real vanilla beans (because I'm not a monster). Quality chocolate. Greek yogurt added into my protein line. 

Saturday: Assembly day. I layer each jar by hand - pudding, cookie crumble, pudding, cookie crumble—until it's perfect. Yes, it takes forever. Yes, it's worth it.

Sunday: Packing day. Sometimes my daughter joins in and helps me wrap jars, add cold packs, pack everything in insulated boxes. She's basically the "Quality Control Manager" at this point, and nothing ships without her approval. This is our Sunday ritual now. And honestly? It's my favorite part of the week.

Monday morning: I drop everything at the post office before work, and your order is on its way. Then I go to my day job and pretend I didn't just spend 72 hours covered in pudding and flour. (I'm very good at compartmentalizing.)

It's a rhythm. A ritual. A labor of love. 

Also, it's mildly chaotic, but that's kind of my brand at this point.

Why This Actually Matters (The Real Talk Section)

Layered Love Gourmet isn't just about pudding.

It's about proving you can build something meaningful with your own two hands even when life knocks you down.

It's about showing my daughter that resilience isn't just about surviving hard things it's about creating beauty out of them.

It's about refusing to cut corners, even when it's easier or faster. (I'm annoyingly stubborn about quality. Sorry not sorry.)

It's about using business as a force for good, helping NICU families while building something sustainable and beautiful.

And honestly? It's about you the person reading this knowing that when you order from Layered Love Gourmet, you're getting something made with actual care. Not from a factory. Not mass-produced. Made by me, in my kitchen, with ingredients I believe in and a process I'm weirdly proud of.

And every purchase makes a difference. Every jar matters. Every family matters.

What You're Really Supporting When You Order

When you buy from Layered Love Gourmet, here's what you're getting behind the scenes:

✨ A recipe I've been perfecting since 2008 (that's 17 years of pudding R&D, folks)  
✨ Small-batch, handcrafted desserts made fresh to order weekly (I literally won't make it until you order it)  
✨ A mom and her daughter building something together every Sunday  
✨ Real ingredients - real vanilla beans, quality chocolate (no shortcuts, ever)  
✨ A business built on resilience, intention. 
✨ A mission to support NICU families **every 10 jars = 1 care package donated**  
✨ Purple lids that represent hope, strength, and NICU awareness  

This is my love language to the world. And now? You're part of the story.

The Layered Love Gourmet Promise (AKA What You Can Expect From Me)

I promise you consistency. Every jar is thick, creamy, and perfectly layered, every single time. Every oatmeal cream pie is soft, fluffy, and sandwiched with the perfect amount of cream. No exceptions.

I promise you quality. I use real ingredients. I don't take shortcuts. If I wouldn't serve it to my own family, I'm not sending it to yours.

I promise you authenticity. This is my story. These are my recipes. This is my heart in dessert form. What you see is what you get.

I promise you impact. Your purchase helps NICU families. Period. Every jar matters. Every family matters.

And I promise - that every order will be made with the same care I'd give if I were making it for my own family. Because honestly? At this point, if you're ordering from me, you basically *are* family.

What's Next (The "We're Just Getting Started" Section)

This is just the beginning.

New flavors. Local partnerships. Wholesale accounts. Pop-ups. Events. The podcast. The Layered Love Cares program growing to support even more families. 

And eventually? Doing this full-time. (That's the dream. Speaking It Now.)

But no matter how big Layered Love Gourmet grows, one thing will never change: the care, the intention, and the love (and slight chaos) that goes into every dessert.

The Bottom Line (Because I've Rambled Long Enough)

Thank you for being here.  
Thank you for supporting small businesses built by real humans in real kitchens.  
Thank you for believing in handcrafted, made-with-love dessert.  
Thank you for caring about NICU families.  

And honestly? Thank you for letting me turn my pudding obsession into a whole business. My inner child is very proud.

Let's build this together-one spoonful (and one purple lid) at a time. 💜

With all the love (and probably flour on my apron),

Kendra 
Founder & Chief Pudding Officer  
Layered Love Gourmet  
*Professional Pudding Perfectionist. NICU Mama. Snack Enabler.*

[Order This Week's Batch →]  
[Learn More About Layered Love Cares →]  
[Follow Our Chaotic Journey on Instagram →]