Miami Fireman's Key Lime Pies Are "Hot"

MIAMI (CBS4) -- A City of Miami firefighter has a delicious hobby that may give Betty Crocker a run for her money.

"When I do get a chance to be off from this job I spend my time in the kitchen making key lime pies," explained Derek Kaplan, a firefighter at Miami Fire Rescue Station 1.

When he's not busy cooking meals for his co-workers, he's an award-winning baker who has started his own company called 'Fireman Derek's Famous Pies.'

At 6'2", 275 pounds, Derek doesn't look like your typical pie maker.

"It's not every day you see a guy who is my size, a fireman, and bakes," Kaplan said.

But that's what he does and he does it very well. He recently won the Miami New Times award for Miami's Best Key Lime Pie.

The recipe starts with one can of condensed milk, 4 egg yolks and key lime juice in a homemade graham cracker crust. There are a few other ingredients but Kaplan said he can't give always all of his secrets.

Kaplan started his company in 2008 and once he mastered Key Lime Pies, he began selling an assortment of homemade pies including pecan pie, chocolate pecan pie, chocolate banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, apple pie and blueberry pie. They're available as whole pies and single serving cups.

Nine-inch pies are $15 while single serving 3-inch pies are $3.

Although he packages and delivers his pies to individual and corporate clients, Kaplan sells pies from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Friday from the window at his Wynwood warehouse kitchen located at 2600 N. Miami Ave.

For more information, go to his website, www.firemanderekspies.com.