|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Fookem’s Fabulous Key Lime Pie is a Home-Baked Success Story
Did you know Florida has an official state pie? It’s true! In 2006, the Key lime pie became the Sunshine State’s official pie, designated by Florida Statue. For those who haven’t yet indulged in this tangy-sweet treat, it’s made with Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. Traditionally, it’s served plain and topped with a fluffy meringue made from egg whites or with whipped cream, but it can also be jazzed up with add-ons such as candied lime zest or toasted coconut.
Naturally, everyone from the casual home baker to the most refined pastry chef has their own take on what they think is the best Key lime pie. So – who does make the best Key lime pie? Many entities compete, but clearly one of the most delicious and successful contenders is crafted fresh daily right here in Coconut Grove – at Fookem’s Fabulous Key Lime Pie shop, located at 3606 Grand Avenue. Yum!
Not an Easy Road
Founded, owned and managed by Joshua Abril, a former reality TV producer, Fookem’s began as an entrepreneurial venture after he was furloughed in March 2020 as COVID-19 hit. Applying for unemployment benefits, Abril soon learned the system was overwhelmed, given the sheer volume of consumers out of work at that time.
So, with unemployment payments not materializing on his expected timeframe, he pivoted to creating a side hustle – as so many people did when the pandemic upended everything we knew about daily life. Already passionate about baking and fairly sure he possessed a great recipe for Key lime pie, Abril began fine tuning it, testing pie slices with friends, perfecting his tasty sea-salt graham cracker crust, and literally selling it on the street in Coconut Grove.
Seated on a chair at the end of his gravel driveway on Oak Avenue across from Coconut Grove Elementary School, he’d sell Key lime pie slices to the passersby – becoming known as the guy who waves at every car. “If it was the first time, they’d ignore me. By the second time they might take a look at me. But by the third time, they’d wave back,” he imparts. In those early days, he might only sell five slices a day. But with that, Fookem’s Fabulous Key Lime Pie was born.
Fortunately, the job discipline skills that Abril had honed while in the tough broadcasting world paid off. “Anyone that works in film will tell you reality TV is the worst of the worst, because it’s typically the most grueling,” he says. “It has the least job protection and the overtime doesn’t start until the 12th hour.”
And yes, there is some meaning to the unique name of the company, which pays homage to the inspiring Grove spirit in a “King Mango Strut” kind of way. The “F” in that word means what it sounds like. “My diplomatic explanation of the name is that I named it for the furloughs and the state reemployment assistance department,” he quips.
So what began in search of a little extra money grew to $23,000 in “driveway sales” by year’s end. Recognizing the potential, Abril started pitching local businesses to take his pies to offer their customers during their own challenging era.
Sales from Many Eateries
Today, Fookem’s delivers pies to many local eateries in the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) including the Barracuda Taphouse & Grill, Botanico Gin & Cookhouse, Sandbar Sports Bar, and Atchana’s Homegrown Thai Restaurant. Just skirting the Central Grove District, he also supplies the Coconut Grove Sailing Club as well as the Coral Reef Yacht Club (see the full list). He has also since opened his own West Grove storefront at 3606 Grand Ave.
Customers – both consumers and eateries alike – rave about the pies. As Abril says. it’s “really about the crust. That’s truly what makes a great Key lime pie.” Of course, it’s more than that, and Fookems stands apart with its diverse offerings and its popular line of personal Key lime pies.
In fact, Abril credits Jim VanBuren, the Coral Reef Yacht Club’s general manager, for Fookem’s decision to add the popular four-inch mini pie to their lineup. VanBuren wanted to enhance the dessert presentation at his club by eliminating the need for employees to slice a full-size pie. “So, he requested a four-inch mini pie, and this ended up being so popular that we now sell them to our consumers and to other restaurants,” says Abril. “They’re the perfect portion size with no slicing needed prior to serving.”
In Miami, Fookem’s also distributes out of a vending machine at Julia and Henry’s, an enormous downtown Miami food court, as well as selling pies at two markets – Tinez Farms and Joshs Premium Meats (where it offers full-size Key lime pies). They also work with many South Florida’s caterers and individuals planning corporate events, parties, and weddings.
Although always faithful to his original Key lime pie, Fookem’s has also expanded its realm of pie flavors. Customers might order a Key lime pie with a taste of guava, coconut, mango, pistachio, mojito (with a rum splash), or even coffee. “Key lime pie with a touch of coconut flavoring is the absolute best Key lime pie in the world,” Abril says.
Marketing-wise, Fookem’s aims for a stylish, clean, and appealing presentation for its dessert pies. “Packaging is vital, as you want to look appealing and make it clearly identifiable,” Abril explains. So Fookem’s logo taps Key Lime coloring and a font that’s a bit old-time Key West, in a balance to its irreverent brand name.
Moving into the second half of 2025, Fookem’s will continue to ensure quality, consistency, and affordability for its customers. They also plan to hire more staff, including another baker, and continue expanding the product line with more mini pies and other flavors.
Building Relationships
Most notably, “we truly strive to build our relationships with local business owners; support them as they support us, and tap into our shared community as a path to business success,” Abril says. He cites community events as a great way to bring people together. “We’re consistent in attending those events and we’re very active within the commercial boundaries of the BID because we recognize their real value,” he adds.
He also praises the new Coconut Grove BID administration’s shift toward high-end ideas and investments. And he likes seeing proactive, pro-business
government leaders throughout South Florida who look for new ways to connect with entrepreneurs. He cites Commissioner Damian Pardo of the City of Miami’s District 2 (who also serves as the Chairman of the Coconut Grove BID) as being community-focused, willing to work with local businesses, and notes that “the new administration even helped us at one point with how best to wire up lights just outside our shop for an event.”
While he’s always loved baking, “my drive for creating the best Key lime pie ever comes from being passionate about sharing the joy of its incredible taste and being proud of South Florida,” he adds. He hopes visitors will leave with great memories of their time in the area, and, of course, the official state pie.
Key Lime’s Sunshine State History
Called “citrus aurantifolia,” the key lime fruit itself is tart, aromatic, has pale yellow juice, and a thin, yellow rind. Starting in 1835, Dr. Henry Perrine, then working in Mexico, shipped plants and seeds to the Florida Keys, and also began plantings on Indian Key.
By 1914, the lime crops throughout the Keys had netted owners $200,000 or so annually. By 1917, at least 183 acres of Key lime groves in the Upper Keys were farmed with some 60,000 crates shipped that year.
The came the Great Hurricane of 1926, which devastated the Key lime groves. Along with the simultaneous construction of Florida’s Overseas Highway, this resulted in most of the remaining commercial groves being subdivided and sold for development. As a result, today’s commercially farmed Key limes mostly hail from Mexico and Central America.
Fast forward to 2006, when, by Florida Statute 15.052, the Key lime pie was designated as the Sunshine State’s official pie. And by many accounts, it’s also considered the world’s most authentic U.S. dessert, with all the ingredients coming from right here on our home turf.
A Self-Appointed Key Lime Ambassador
Of course, Key lime pie is iconic, in addition to being Florida’s official state pie. “So, it’s almost as though I’m playing the part of an ambassador, helping locals and visitors alike savor this delicacy,” Abril says.
As the pandemic eased, an executive TV show producer tried to coax Abril back into film and entertainment with an associate producer position. Normally, he would have jumped at the opportunity. Instead, “I told him, this might be the only time I say this in my life, but I’ve got this pie thing going on right now and it’s incredibly satisfying… I want to see where it goes.”
Turning the job down made him realize the true potential he really felt. “Yeah, in your life, you know when something’s right,” he added. Certainly, customers who taste his line of delectable products are thankful for that decision. Today, they’ll say, “now that was some Fookem good pie.”
Fookem’s Fabulous Key Lime Pie is located at 3606 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove. For information or to place an inline order, visit Fookem’s website. Hours are Monday through Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
