Kermit Carpenter Embraces His Key Lime Calling

It's hard to imagine the Florida Keys without their official signature dessert, Key lime pie. And it's even harder to imagine Key lime pie without local pie guru Kermit Carpenter.

The savory treat has been acclaimed throughout the world as a perfect mix of sweet and tart, with chefs often struggling to find the exact balance between the two tastes.

Kermit Carpenter found that balance more than 25 years ago.

For a quarter of a century, the charismatic Carpenter has been coming up with creative ways to incorporate Key lime into new products.

A Maryland native, he used to work as a buyer for a major department store in Washington, D.C. Like many, he grew tired of the fast pace and hustle and bustle of city life.

As he cast about for an alternative to his Washington lifestyle, he kept coming back to his childhood memories of Key West.

"I used to come down in the 1960s to visit my grandmother," said Carpenter. "She had a house here for the winters and I loved it."

When he finally decided to make the big move to the island, he got some advice from his sister.

"My sister told me if I open up a shop, I need a theme," Carpenter explained. "So I thought to myself, what do people look for when they come to the Keys?"

The answer, he decided, was Key lime pie.

"So we dug up my grandmother's old recipe and I opened up the shop," said the man whose name is now practically synonymous with the creamy dessert.

Carpenter still uses his grandmother's recipe today — but his creativity has taken him far beyond transforming the tart yellow fruit into perfect pie.

He has come up with a seemingly endless array of products that incorporate Key lime. From shampoos and soaps to barbecue sauces and salsas, every item in his store has the unique Key lime flavor mixed into it.

In fact, he has developed so many enticing products it's hard to choose the one he likes best.

"If I had to say, the Key lime cookies are one of my favorites," he said.

With more than 120 products in his shop, many customers wonder what he will think of next.

Carpenter currently is working on several new concoctions including white chocolate Key lime popcorn, Key lime rum cake and Key lime vinaigrette salad dressing.

When the prolific chef-entrepreneur isn't crafting new ways to spotlight Key lime flavor, he enjoys traveling.

"I usually do one trip a year to somewhere out of the country, but other than that, I am at the shop every day," said Carpenter. "I basically live there."

Today, Carpenter has two shops in downtown Key West. The original Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe stands at 200 Elizabeth St. in the island's Historic Seaport district. It also features a café with a courtyard and beautiful koi fishpond where visitors can sit and enjoy Key lime treats.

The second shop is located at 802 Duval St., a great location for people looking for a quick slice of frozen chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick.

Kermit Carpenter himself usually can be found standing outside the Elizabeth Street shop, dressed in bright green chef's togs and hat, holding a Key lime pie and smiling and chatting with visitors and locals.

"In the north everyone's so cold and unhappy, you don't even know your own neighbor," said Carpenter. "But here I know everyone — besides the warmth of the weather, there's the warmth of the people and that sense of community you can't get anywhere else."