Take heed, fans of Gideon’s Bakehouse: Six Ravens, its long-awaited new concept, will quietly “soft” open its handsome, hewn doors at Disney Springs on Monday (Aug. 3), just a few doors down from Gideon’s Bakehouse.
The small shop, says Gideon’s founder Steve Lewis, will feature all-new offerings, including hand pie-like sandwiches called coffyns, housemade yeast rolls with fillings that focus on something Lewis holds dear: supporting local.
“From the outset, the concept of Six Ravens has been about paying it forward,” Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel.
Gideon’s cookies got their start at Disney Springs when the owners of The Polite Pig, Orlando-local chefs James and Julie Petrakis, put the chocolate chip cookie on their secret menu. The craze that followed set in motion the monster success of a brand now literally beloved around the world — with daily lines around the building to match.
“It allowed me to represent a small business on the big stage,” Lewis says.
And so Six Ravens highlights different local restaurants with many of its menu items. Collaborations for this opening round include Red Panda Noodle, Pizza Bruno, Smoke & Donuts, Pink Salamander and Papi’s Burritos, the latter a tiny breakfast burrito joint that’s neighbors with Gideon’s original stall at East End Market.
“At the very least, it incentivizes guests to visit [and sample] more local fare. We’re also highlighting beer from Ravenous Pig Brewing Co., Sideward Brewing Co. and Crooked Can, as well.”
New from Gideon’s Bakehouse, Six Ravens takes flight at Disney Springs later this year
While the focus here is savory, fans won’t have to wait on Gideon’s infamous line for a sweet follow, though it will hit a little different.
“Much in the way the Six Ravens sweet roll is the savory canvas we play on, the dessert side of our menu is tart-based,” Lewis says. He means actual tarts, not necessarily flavors that lean in said direction.
“We’re starting off with The Tart’s Tempest, a Gideon’s chocolate chip tart filled with rich, chocolate fudge and topped with freshly made raspberry jam.
For now, it’s Six Ravens’ sole dessert. Lewis and his team want to ease into the process. More will come, including some in collaborations with local bakeries. In the meantime, fans of Gideon’s merchandise — some limited-run classics garner massive price tags on eBay — will have a lot of soon-to-be-collectibles to consider.
Fans adore the Gideon’s Bakehouse universe and its rich compendium of characters. Six Ravens will bring new ones into the mix. (Courtesy Six Ravens)
Lewis’ original Disney Springs location, he says, was destined to be fixed in place.
“I knew I couldn’t grow it,” he says plainly. “To branch out, to let things expand into the world would ruin its sense of exclusivity and community.”
But as a business owner and the leader of a vast team of creatives, growth is still important.
“We started thinking about what a development path would look like, and the answer was simple: Gideon’s is filled with characters and lore. Some of those little creatures could be set free into the world to become their own thing.”
People walk past Six Ravens at Disney Springs, the newest outpost in the Gideon’s Bakehouse family. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ OrlandoSentinel)
They created five sister concepts to present to the folks at Disney. Six Ravens best filled the grab-and-go need they had, and the project began to move forward.
Lewis jokes that the entire set-up exists to highlight his “Realm Famous” honey mustard, a recipe he concocted two decades ago.
“But, I needed something for the dipping!”
Hand-pie tests in his own kitchen evolved into something his larger team began to play with.
“At first, it was a pie crust, but it felt too traditional. Eventually, we found ourselves moving toward a soft, stuffed yeast roll, inspired by a childhood love I had for the big, fat yeast roll at Quincy’s [Family SteakHouse]. If you know, you know. It took a couple of years playing around, but I think we landed in a good place.”
The newest outpost in the Gideon’s Bakehouse universe soft opens at 10 a.m. on Aug. 3. “It’s even darker,” says founder Steve Lewis. “A true escape from the sunshine of our burning world.” (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
It’s a place that’s even smaller than Gideon’s other location, be warned. Darker, too.
“A true escape from the sunshine of our burning world,” says Lewis, in his very Lewis way.
“The characters are anxious to grow,” he tells me, adding a bit of forecasting as he does.
“We’re in talks to finally broaden our little stores into fuller illustrated books and beyond, and Six Ravens might be a great place to start.”
L20 theming, always: Logo on the door handles of Six Ravens at Disney Springs. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Until then, however, the concept is small and simple, he says: “Coffyns. Potatoes. Beer. Dessert.”
And yeah, generous portions of dipping sauce.
Six Ravens is a new concept. High demand is very likely. Plans are in place for a virtual queue, as they have for Gideon’s Bakehouse, to minimize the time in line. As guests show up, staffers will be on hand to place them in the queue on a first-come, first-served basis, “to guide guests on their journey.
“You’ll get to explore the many offerings of Disney Springs while you wait,” says Lewis, who asks for grace as they navigate curiosity-driven demand.
“Seek the Six! We’ll be waiting, and doing our best for you.”
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.