It’s the first week of January, which means you’re probably scribbling away resolutions, researching gym memberships and begrudgingly shoving piles of lettuce in your mouth. Push the pause button on this healthy new you for something decidedly more satisfying: a slice of Miss Debbie’s key lime pie. Retired nurse Debbie Allen is the talented pastry maker behind Sweet Delights, the wildly successful Homestead bakery praised by customers across the world for its 25-plus varieties of key lime pies and cakes. “I had never eaten key lime pie until I was introduced to it by a friend in 2010,” says Allen, recalling the year she decided to go into the pie-making business. She’d only ever baked for friends and family but divine intervention, and a struggling economy, led her to this venture.
“I started during the recession out of desperation and despondency, and it was brutal. I prayed and asked God to give me an idea,” she says, describing the events that led to her unusual style of key lime pie. “I made passion fruit key lime and then mango and people started saying, ‘oh my god! What is this?’ People started to love it and come from all over the world!”
Locals need only to travel to Homestead (still a trek for some) to taste her world-famous creations. Late 2017, Miss Debbie moved to a bigger space in Verde Community Farms and Market and hired staff (she’d been baking by herself since 2010), including a group of homeless veterans she plans to employ and help rehabilitate. (Her son was injured while serving in the military). Soon, Miss Debbie will introduce Valentine’s Day-themed pies and launch an online store, from which people near and far can order the “pie of the century.” “There’s no other award to give me,” says Miss Debbie, proudly. We can’t help but agree.
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