Lovell’s 31 was born out of love. Located in Richmond, VA, Lovell’s 31 specializes in delivering people-pleasing, gourmet bread pudding. Years ago, I experienced some of the best bread pudding I had ever tasted at a buffet restaurant in the city. It wasn’t “slum-dum”, the thick, heavy bread pudding with raisins that my mom and grandmother made but light and airy with a creamy sauce. This was the start of my journey to make the best bread pudding ever. I started with a base flavor but later evolved with my Banana Cream version. Everyone loved it and always had the same response: “this is the best bread pudding I ever tasted.”
In 2013, I came across an opportunity to apply to compete in a reality show on Destination America’s Deep-Fried Masters. The series showcased a variety of fried foods usually sold at state fairs around the country. While I had no idea as to how I would “fry” bread pudding, my son, Vaughn, had every confidence that we would figure it out. So, I applied to the network and we got busy experimenting in the kitchen. To my surprise, I was selected to compete and in the first round of the contest, my deep-fried bread pudding won first place! With my confidence in this delicacy growing, I started experimenting with other baked combinations like bacon with maple, fresh and dried fruit with a lemon sauce, eggnog for the holidays, and peaches for summer. Vaughn remained my biggest cheerleader, along with his daughter, Angel. Each version was a hit.
In 2016, I lost my son but not the confidence he instilled in me. With my granddaughter Angel by my side, I’m still making bread pudding with plenty of love and creativity. The name, Lovell’s 31, embodies Angel and Vaughn. The legacy and journey continues.
Wilma is currently president and co-owner of Satori Solutions, Inc., a small business company providing pharmacy, auditing, and consulting services to the healthcare industry. She is a former Staff Vice President of Privacy for WellPoint, the parent company of a multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield entities across the country, where she led the company’s HIPAA implementation efforts. Wilma graduated from Tuskegee University with her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Social Work and Education respectively.
She has also had a varied career as a speaker, freelance writer, business owner. Her latest venture is her passion for making delectably decadent award -winning bread pudding. As a contestant on the reality show, Deep Fried Masters, her bread pudding placed 1st in the initial round of the competition and was touted for her ease in doing voiceovers. She’s in love with family and all it represents. In her spare time, she enjoys leading a grief support group for her church, photographing all things of beauty, traveling and learning new cultures and of course, cooking. And now, she is introducing her brand and bread pudding to the world through her new company, Lovell’s 31, LLC, Gourmet Bread Pudding!