Red Hook Key Lime Pie Shop, Ravaged By Superstorm Sandy, Hopes To Rebuild Despite Destruction

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/WLNY) -- Superstorm Sandy wiped out homes and business all over area -- including some we've recently highlighted on WLNY, like Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie Shop in Red Hook.

Steve Tarpin's waterfront pie shop was ravaged by the storm. He appeared on The Couch on Friday to tell his story.

Despite the devastation caused by Sandy, Tarpin is looking to rebuild. He's just not sure when he'll be up and running - or how he'll pay for it.

More: NYC's 7 Best Slices Of Pie

"We just got our electricity turned on [on Wednesday]," Tarpin said. "That's finally allowed us to really assess a lot of the damage. We're on our second phase of cleaning."

In the midst of destruction, Tarpin said his fellow waterfront business owners helped each other out.

"It's just amazing to see all the Red Hook businesses come together. We had a boat that had about 20 gallons of gas in it. People were using it as kind of a floating reserve. And there was a generator roulette going on, people were passing it around as needed," he said.

But things aren't looking so good for the upcoming holiday season.

"We don't believe we'll be operational. Our materials, their components, they're all perishable. We're doing our best. We're trying to keep people updated on our website," he said. "The loss of revenue, especially around Thanksgiving, to replace the ingredients, the packaging, it's a pretty heavy hit."

Tarpin started a website to raise funds for his business on GoFundMe.com. You can find Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie Shop by searching for it, but, as Tarpin points out, there are others that need funds as well.