LA MESA, Calif. — Not even the coronavirus can stop the joy of banana pudding.
Toran Grays said, "Go ahead and Google it."
The only banana pudding shop in the United States is in La Mesa, California.
We never showed you this happy picture of customers and me eating banana pudding in the Zevely Zone.
The picture was taken before the coronavirus social distancing order and the story fell through the cracks. I have felt bad we never aired the story on the new business, so I circled back to see how Toran Grays was doing.
This all started more than a month ago, when I met La Mesa resident Karolyn Webster in front the banana pudding new shop.
I went to the shop on El Paso Street where I found the friendly lady staring at the sign that reads Extraordinary Banana Pudding.
"What in the world made them do that?" asked Karolyn.
She told me she always notices when a new shop opens up in her town but this was really different.
"I don't know anything about it. I love bananas," she said.
Extraordinary Banana Pudding sounds tasty but strangely one dimensional.
"This is the only banana pudding shop in the country," I said.
Karolyn responded, "Really? Don't tell my husband. He doesn't like bananas."
Then up stepped John Webster.
"I'm not a banana fan but I have had banana pudding that I like," he said.
We never aired the story about the banana pudding shop, so you never saw the slippery slope between Karolyn and her husband.
"We've been married for 46 years and I've never heard him say that," said Karolyn.
No one did and that made me sad because the man who opened the shop, Toran Grays, spent his life savings to do it.
For more than a month, I worried Toran had lost it all. A FaceTime call to him proved otherwise.
He answered with a big smile and said, "I am at the shop as we speak."
Toran told me that because his business has picked up and it is delivery only, he's actually doing well and so is his dream.
"It starts with my great-grandmother you know," he said.
Toran said the secret family recipe comes from his Great Grandmother.
"Her name was Agnes White," said Toran.
On family vacations to Mississippi when he was a child, Toran couldn't wait for dessert.
"It was phenomenal, I loved it as a kid. I would always ask for more," said Toran.
When Agnes died in the 1980's, he promised to someday open a shop.
"I mean I know she's proud, I definitely know she's proud," said Toran.
Before the social distancing mandate, my two taste testers got uncomfortably close to the product.
"Oh thank you grandma!"
Then it was my turn.
"I'll let you try the chocolate," said Toran. "Yum, yum, yum!" I said.
"That's what I like to hear. Thank you," said Toran.
You know what they say, the proof is in the pudding.
People really need to smile right now and Toran thinks his banana pudding can make them do just that.
"Absolutely, they will love my product, some come on down I'll make you smile and then you will smile after you taste my product," he said.
Toran said he will soon offer 22 flavors in all to go with cup cakes and coffee.
For more information on Extraordinary Banana Pudding in La Mesa go to: extraordinarybananapudding.com.