You wouldn't think Derek Kaplan bakes pies for a living. He's a 6-foot-2, former Division 1 college football player turned Miami firefighter. But word has it that he makes the best pies in Miami, as well as many other luscious indulgences, at his bakeries, Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop.
With his culinary accolades from Food & Wine Magazine, Good Morning America, Eater, New Times, and the Miami Herald, we suggest being a bit naughty and popping into one of his bake shops to snag some goodies for your holiday celebrations.
Kaplan is a self-taught baker with a longtime passion for making pies.
(Courtesy Fireman Derek's Bake Shop)
Fireman Derek's Apple Pie
"At 15 years old, I was squeezing limes by hand, perfecting the earliest rendition of my key lime pie," he said.
Kaplan always found baking to be therapeutic, so when he joined the Miami fire department, he started baking for the firefighters at the station and utilized his down time to bake 25-30 pies a week to sell on the side to supplement his income.
"I stayed true to my passion by making pies for the station, while simultaneously kickstarting my own pie business selling miniature-sized Key Lime pies to small businesses in Coconut Grove," he said.
At first, Kaplan was baking out of his father’s apartment, and later in several Miami-based commissary kitchens. After being a firefighter for 10 years, he wanted to pursue his passion of a baking career full-time. In 2013, he decided to open his own bakery, and started looking for a location to build his first pie shop. He found a small 600-square-foot space in Wynwood, jammed between the Electric Pickle Club and a barbershop, and in July 2014, he officially opened Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop in Wynwood.
(Courtesy Fireman Derek's Bake Shop)
Fireman Derek's Cafecito Pie
Kaplan left the fire department in 2016.
"After years of juggling two laborious careers, I retired from the fire department to pursue my baking career full time," he said.
In March 2019 he opened an outpost of his original Wynwood bake shop in Coconut Grove. With 36 seats, it was twice the size of his original Wynwood bake shop. Soon Grovites and South Miamians were trekking to his bake shop to buy desserts. In 2019, he relocated the Wynwood store just three blocks south of his original store, and this time it was triple the space of the original. In 2022, Fireman Derek's Bake Shop expanded north, with the opening of his first Broward County bake shop in Fort Lauderdale.
Kaplan now offers more than 50 unique pies, cakes, cheesecakes, brownies, bars, and cookies in his bake shops.
He said his favorite holiday desserts are traditional classics like apple pie and pecan pie, which he enjoys with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
(Courtesy Fireman Derek's Bake Shop)
Fireman Derek's Pecan Pie
“Another holiday favorite, which we only offer a limited number of in December, is the Cafecito Pie,” said Kaplan. “We make it by adding a shot of espresso/cafecito into the center of the signature salted caramel 'crack' pie, and top it off with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar. The apple and pecan pies are available year-round at all three bake shop locations, as is the caramel 'crack' pie, a bake shop signature. But the holiday cafecito pie will only be available for a limited time during the month of December."
Get 'em while you can!
IF YOU GO
Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop Locations
2545 N. Miami Ave., Bay 1, Miami Wynwood, 786-703-3623
3435 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove, 786-502-2396
250 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-533-0810
Fireman Derek’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Courtesy Fireman Derek's Bake Shop)
Fireman Derek Kaplan
Yield: 24 cookies
INGREDIENTS
½ lb. Butter
1 ¼ cups Sugar
¼ cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Chocolate Chips
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Using an electric mixer, cream room-temperature butter with sugar until nice and fluffy and beige in color, then add eggs and vanilla and cream until fluffy again. This process usually takes about 2 minutes each time on medium-high speed. Start with medium and then gradually raising the speed as it begins to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients on low speed until you don’t see any bits of unmixed flour.
Fold in the chocolate chips. You don’t want to overmix once the chocolate chips have been added – the cocoa flakes will fall off and will change the color and consistency of your dough.
Once dough is mixed, roll into 2 oz. portions and freeze for about an hour. Dough can be kept overnight in refrigerator too, depending on how quickly you need to bake it.
Bake cookies for 16-17 mins or until golden brown. If you like extra chocolatey cookies, add more chips to outside of the dough before baking.