Pop Culture: Meet the Incredible Kettle Corn Family
If you’re a regular at South Florida farmers markets, you’ve probably followed your nose to the inviting perfume of fresh popcorn. Chances are you’ve met part of this extended family fulfilling the dream of the patriarch, Constantino “Tino” Fernandez.
He recalls the day he first discovered kettle corn – kernels popped with just enough sugar to give them a fine glaze, then sprinkled with salt for that irresistible sweet-and-saltiness. It was at a farmers market at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was waiting for someone and watching a line of customers at the kettle corn tent. “I sat on a bench and counted the customers,” he says. When he went home, he looked on YouTube to find out all about kettle corn.
Fernandez, who formerly worked in Hialeah at a business retreading tires, had returned to Miami following a stay in Europe to take care of his parents, and was looking for a new business. “At the time, I was about to buy a food truck,” he says. But the kettle corn stand appealed to him more because it was something he could do by himself. He found his first setup on Craigslist, a second-hand 80-quart kettle and portable propane gas heater. Other tools of the trade include a sifter to remove the bits of husks and unpopped kernels (called “Old Maids”), and paddles to stir the oil, sugar and popcorn.
Beyond the Flea Market
In 2011, Fernandez started selling his kettle corn at the Opa Locka Flea Market every weekend with help from his teenage son, Jesse. It was slow going, and he couldn’t pay himself a salary. A friend suggested the farmers market on Saturdays in Plantation. He took a booth and sold four times what he would have sold at the flea market. From there, he started looking for other markets, working with market organizers Claire Tomlin and Iris Casanova. As he expanded, he hired David Guerrero and Roxy Jimenez, two veterans who showed them how to streamline their operation for bigger markets.
One event he worked was at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove. The experience was grueling. “I remember almost collapsing, constantly cooking,” he says. While they’ve done some big events, like air shows, Fernandez prefers the regular farmers markets where customers depend on them. These include the popular Pinecrest Gardens farmers market, the weekly University of Miami market, another at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, the seasonal Parkland market and a market at Jackson Memorial Hospital, near the place where Fernandez had first spotted the now-departed kettle corn vendor that inspired him. In 2017, they opened at Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood, where they’re the only kettle corn location. “It’s like a hipster flea market,” says son Danny. “I like the ambience and diversity.”
Their wholesale business is growing, too. They’re hired a distributor, so their kettle corn is now available at the Bass Museum and Bousa Brewery and is coming soon to Joe’s Stone Crab, Concrete Beach Brewery and The Standard.
To run all the markets, it’s all hands on deck. Danny and his wife Leilani work the markets and logistics; daughter Tiane Brunet is office manager, while her husband Yunet is at the markets; Jesse is a “master popper”; and David and Roxy bring their expertise. Tino, who had a stroke last year, has slowed down, but remains CEO and is a positive force for the family business, sharing his knowledge and work ethic. The most important part? “I’m not money hungry,” says Tino. “I like to see people working.”
“I’m really happy I can see Dad every day and get his wisdom,” says Danny. “But it’s hard work. You gotta persevere.”
Pop to It: A Morning at the Market
The team at Incredible Kettle Corn gets started early popping for the day’s crowds. Here, at the Sunday Pinecrest Gardens farmers market, hours are short, so Leilani Fernandez and Yunet Brunet arrive at 7:30 to start setting up the big kettle. They bring bins of popcorn, filled from 50-pound sacks ordered from suppliers in Nebraska; 35-pound jugs of canola oil; and blended mixtures of cheese, spices and flavored sugars. Brunet pours canola oil and regular sugar into the kettle, stirring nonstop, until it’s hot enough to pour in the popcorn kernels. He continues stirring until all the corn is popped – only 10 to 15 seconds from the time they start popping – then turns off the heat and dumps the kernels into a bucket. The process is repeated. From there, the popped corn goes into the sifter, a large tray with holes in the bottom to catch unpopped kernels and husks. Fernandez salts the popcorn, then quickly breaks it up as it cools, working quickly before the humidity starts affecting the popcorn. She bags the popcorn and stacks it up.
Incredible Kettle Corn makes five flavors: Regular kettle corn; caramel, made with caramel-flavored sugar; spicy buffalo, made with a mixture of paprika, cayenne and chili powder; cheddar caramel, also known as Chicago mix, known for its high-powered sweet-and-salty experience; and blue raspberry and cherry, made with flavored sugars and popular with kids.
Serving samples at the market – crunchy and fluffy kernels still-warm from the popper – is a foolproof way to get new customers. And every week, their regulars stop by. Some take advantage of their loyalty program, which rewards customers with their fifth bag for free.
Incredible Kettle Corn
Find at farmers markets, including Brickell City Centre (Saturday); Yellow Green Farmers Market (Saturday and Sunday); Pinecrest Gardens, Aventura Mall and Gallery Shops at Pembroke Gardens (Sunday); Well Canes Market Place at UM (Wednesday during the school year) and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (Wednesday); Jackson Memorial Foundation Green Market and Government Center (Thursday). Check their website for full schedule. You can also buy their popcorn at Wall’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in South Miami and Buttercream Cupcakes. They make custom orders for weddings, parties, corporate and other events.
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