Homemade pudding (for vegans too) on the Pudding Truck launching Friday

There’s something about a spoonful of chocolate pudding that unleashes a comforting sense of nostalgia. And the pudding many of us enjoyed as kids came from the grocery store, packed neatly in a plastic cup, with a foil lid. But a new food truck launching Friday, appropriately named the Pudding Truck, is on a mission to take the childhood treat to the next level.

The truck, run by founder Carrie Cohen, specializes in homemade pudding. The flavors will change seasonally, but the current menu includes chocolate, vanilla bean, butterscotch, lemon, vegan chocolate hazelnut and espresso flavors. Frozen pudding pops will also be available.

The pudding is made by hand-whisking ingredients on the stove top in small batches. The puddings are all gluten-free.

Cohen perfected her pudding recipes while working under chef Gerald Hirogoyen at Piperade in San Francisco. She came up with the idea for a food truck devoted to pudding during a stint working in the entertainment industry, when she used to bring her homemade pudding to share with co-workers.

You can top your pudding with hand-made toppings such as fresh clementine curd and brown butter vanilla wafers, cinnamon meringue droplets, coarse sea salt and more. The pudding comes in small (4 ounces for $3), regular (6 ounces for $4.50) and double (8 ounces for $6). (Prices are subject to change.)

The truck is launching with a party Friday at the Golden Road Brewery from 7 to 10 p.m., with free samples of the chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla bean, vegan chocolate hazelnut pudding and more.

And if the free samples aren’t enough, you can purchase half pints of pudding to take home.

5410 W. San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, www.thepuddingtruck.com.

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