When customers call Bettina Morgan a “banana pudding queen,” she tends to beam with pride — and maybe blush a little — but is not likely to object.

This Alabama woman might not sell the largest quantity of banana pudding in the state, but when it comes to quality, Morgan rules supreme.

She’s the founder of Pudding Amore Gourmet Banana Pudding, a small business that creates and sells homemade desserts with loving care.

Morgan, 57, has perfected a recipe that’s been in her family for more than 100 years, inspiring raves from folks who knew her grandmother, Maude Dukes Elliot of Birmingham.

“I put my little twist to it, a little bit different from hers, but it’s just about the same,” Morgan says. “Everybody loved her banana pudding. Even with mine, they just say it is amazing. Mine is very Southern, very authentic. I don’t have a pudding mix, and I don’t use whipped cream. I do a real custard in a double boiler, just like my grandmother did. And even with my meringue, I do meringue with sugar and egg whites. That is it.”

Morgan, who lives in Hoover, started Pudding Amore in 2017, after leaving her longtime job as a police and fire 911 operator. Family responsibilities compelled her to resign — Morgan was taking care of her infant grandson after her daughter died — and the hours of her shift weren’t suitable for raising a young child.

“The job was very stressful, but I loved it,” Morgan says in an interview with AL.com. “I love helping people. I love people. That’s just my personality.”

Launching a dessert company required a huge leap of faith, Morgan says, but she was encouraged by friends, family members and former co-workers — all of whom had tried her banana pudding and found it extremely crave-worthy.

“People would ask for it all the time,” Morgan says. “When I came out of law enforcement, I was trying to find a job that was conducive for raising my grandson. You know, I need the right hours, I need the right money, etc. That was hard to find at that time. One of my family members suggested, ‘Why don’t you sell the banana pudding?’

“That was just so far-fetched. I would have never thought that I would be selling banana pudding or any type of dessert,” Morgan says. “But I would bring it to family gatherings or my job in the past, and they loved it. Neighbors, they love it. So that made me think, ‘OK, this may work.’ I prayed about it and I said, ‘I’m gonna go for it.’”

Now, about eight years later, Morgan is glad she did. So are her customers, who often tell Morgan that Pudding Amore reminds them of treats their mother or grandma used to make.

“It tastes like home,” says Alexander McKelvey, a regular at Morgan’s booth in the North Pavilion of UAB Hospital. She can be found there on Fridays at a mini-farmers’ market near the food court, and has earned an enthusiastic clientele among visitors and staff.

Morgan’s personality — warm, cheerful and supportive — is almost as important as the pudding she sells, whether the location is UAB or Grandview Hospital or other farmers’ markets in metro Birmingham. (For weekly updates, visit the Pudding Amore Facebook page.)

Morgan’s strong faith plays a role, as well, especially when customers need more than just their favorite comfort food.

“Every time that I make banana pudding, I’m praying over that product,” Morgan says. “There are people coming (to my booth) whose loved ones are sick or whatever, and I pray with them. This product is prayed over. It’s anointed. I know that it’s good, the flavor and everything they’re tasting, but there’s more to it than that. I try to treat people like I would want to be treated, and I enjoy talking to them, praying for them, encouraging them.”

Running a small business requires commitment and hard work, as Morgan knows only too well. She used her own money to start the company, and makes the banana pudding by herself, in a rented commercial kitchen.

“It’s not easy,” Morgan says. “A lot of people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. I threw in the towel so many times, and said, ‘Lord, I want to quit, because this is hard.’ But, you know, my customers keep coming. They continue to put a smile on my face. So I’m still doing gourmet banana pudding. I’m constantly brainstorming how I can make this better.”

Ask Morgan to describe what Pudding Amore tastes like, and here’s what she says:

“I would say that it’s creamy sweet, but not too sweet, and absolutely delicious. It will make your tongue dance as soon as you put it in your mouth. So very creamy. The cookies are not too crunchy, but not too soft and just right. Just the best balance of a dessert that you can have.”

Morgan isn’t about to share the precise recipe she uses — it’s not written down, just stored in her head — but says the secret to making great banana pudding is trial and error. (Another pro tip: Nabisco Nilla Wafers are a must.)

“I get that question all the time,” Morgan says. “People say, ‘I can’t get it right.’ And I tell them, ‘You just have to keep trying until you get it. Eventually you’ll get it.’ But you have to mix the custard right. Because if you don’t, it’s going to be lumpy and thick, and that’s not good at all.”

She learned that lesson early on, watching her grandmother prepare the dessert with a confidence born of long experience.

“I remember the old-fashioned double boiler that she would use, with a gas stove, and she would cook that custard up,” Morgan says. “She did nothing by recipe. It was all about memory. We would eat that banana pudding straight out the oven because we like it hot. Most people like it cold, but hot is just amazing.”

Although hot banana pudding is her personal preference, Morgan sells it cold for practical reasons, in 8-ounce containers that are stored in a cooler at her booth. Each container costs $9.99. She also takes orders via her Facebook page, filling requests for larger portions that include full pans of banana pudding meant to feed several people. Prices vary for special orders, topping out at $129.99, she says.

“I get some emails. I get text messages,” Morgan says. “Facebook is where most people contact me. Or word of mouth, somebody’s giving a friend or co-worker my phone number. It’s all through the week. ‘Where are you today?’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”

Banana pudding is perishable, so Morgan makes it fresh the night before she offers it to the public. Pudding Amore has a shelf life of six or seven days in the fridge, but many customers tell Morgan that point is moot, because they plan to scarf it down right away. (Jasmine Halsey, a first-timer who discovered Morgan’s booth at UAB Hospital, also said sharing was out of the question.)

The fan base for Pudding Amore is devoted, but Morgan says she’s not stopping there. She hopes to expand her small business in the future, via a food truck or brick-and-mortar location in the Birmingham area. Her long-term goal is to establish a family company, passing down her recipe and methodology for the perfect banana pudding.

“I know that God has placed this business in my lap so I can potentially bless my children, great-grandchildren, etc.,” Morgan says. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I know that the future is looking great.”