On the 5th anniversary of Gideon’s Bakehouse opening at Walt Disney World, its owner has announced Six Ravens, a brand-new hand pie concept opening at Disney Springs in 2026. This shares details about the food and drinks that’ll be served at the upcoming restaurant, its Florida roots, and our commentary.
Gideon’s Bakehouse opening a second location at Walt Disney World has been an open secret for over a month, with signs starting to appear–literally and figuratively–that they were the ‘mystery tenant’ coming to the empty Art of Shaving store. Clues strongly suggested that a new concept from Gideon’s Bakehouse would be setting up shop in that vacancy.
The first sign was the construction permit, which listed Walt Disney World as the owner, but also ‘The First Raven LLC’ as client. Public records show the client company is owned by none other than Steve Lewis, the sole-owner of Gideon’s Bakehouse.
The next was even more obvious, as literal signs appeared in the windows with raven imagery and Gideon’s-style design elements. The branding matches the distinct visual identity of Gideon’s, further reinforcing that this would be a related concept. Those window wraps also likely conceal construction work that’s already started, suggesting we might not have to wait too long for the sequel to Gideon’s Bakehouse.
Fast forward to today, and Gideon’s Bakehouse has revealed its new restaurant concept will be Six Ravens.
Six Ravens will specialize in “Coffyns,” an original term the Gideon’s team has dubbed for old school hand pies. The new restaurant will serve savory hand pies made with fluffy yeast bread and fillings created by Gideon’s Bakehouse while collaborating with Central Florida chefs on ingredients.
The menu at Six Ravens will also include gourmet potatoes, local draft beer, and tasty desserts. The owner of Gideon’s Bakehouse called it a grab and go concept designed to fit a small space while bringing together Florida flavors and introducing Orlando’s rich culinary scene to Walt Disney World guests.
Here’s the official announcement via Gideon’s Bakehouse on social media:
A few years ago, we started exploring ideas for something new that met a grab-and-go need in a small space. I will admit that another small shop caused some hesitation, but an idea came to mind that was hard to ignore.
What if we created a place that offered up savory delights in collaboration with some of our favorite Central Florida chefs? After all, I got my start at Disney Springs as a secret menu item at the Polite Pig. It’s important to pay it forward and bring more local flavors to the international crowds we meet every day.
So with that, I introduce you to Six Ravens. This new concept specializes in a creation we call Coffyns, the original term for an old school hand pie. This fluffy yeast bread is filled with flavors created not only by the talented minds in Gideon’s kitchen but also by some of your favorite Orlando culinary superstars. Combine that with potatoes, local draft beer, and, of course, some tasty desserts, and you will have a fun new place to fuel your park adventures.
Six Ravens opens at Disney Springs later this year. Stay tuned here for details or follow @six.ravens! I’ll eventually start telling you more about our journey and share some behind-the-scenes as we build the stories in this new chapter.
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Lewis shared that he hoped to have Six Ravens opened by Summer 2026.
He also emphasized the importance of featuring other Central Florida small businesses, and explained that he had been experimenting with the coffyns for years, often with friends and peers from the Orlando-local food scene, including Bruno Zacchini of Pizza Bruno and Eliot Hillis of Red Panda Noodle.
“My hope is that we can create little breadcrumbs for people that lead them into the Central Florida community,” Lewis told the newspaper. “They might find a Coffyn on the menu that takes them to a local restaurant they might not have explored.”
Lewis also attributed the launch of Six Ravens to the creativity of the Gideon’s Bakehouse team. “They all come from these incredible restaurants and backgrounds and have so much creativity and knowledge they don’t get to flex at Gideon’s,” he explained.
“Six Ravens has allowed them to do what they’ve done best in the past. As the owner of a business, I feel like my greatest responsibility is to give creative and professional growth opportunities to my team…but Gideon’s is only 1,600 square feet between two stores. There’s only so far I can go.”
Six Ravens’ pastries will feature internationally-inspired fillings. One of those will come from Hillis of Red Panda Noodle, which will bring a curried chicken salad pie to fruition at Six Ravens. “We knew we wanted something that would stand out and that people could recognize as Red Panda,” Hillis said.
He marveled at Lewis’s ability to build worlds that connect with so many people, and that one of his creations would soon be on the menu at Walt Disney World. “It’s wild,” he told the Orlando Sentinel. “It goes back and forth between a ‘hometown boy does good’ kinda vibe and thinking about how many millions of people would see our names … there’s an amount of awe that goes with that.”
Six Ravens will also feature the creation of new characters, like the otherworldly figure known as the Six Ravens. That ominous character will sometimes appear in its raven form and other times as a mysterious woman.
Unsurprisingly given what we’ve already seen of the window covers, art director Michael Reyes will bring his distinct style to Six Raven. Reyes and Lewis have been collaborating since 2006, with the former’s imagery having helped craft the Gideon’s brand.
Studio 407, a fixture of the themed attractions space, will once again work on design for Six Ravens, following up on their award-winning design of Gideon’s Bakehouse at Disney Springs. Expect Six Ravens to have a merchandising component to go along with the Coffyns, beer, and desserts.
Lewis famously founded Gideon’s Bakehouse with just $800 and only himself, as a solo shop operating out of his apartment. Gideon’s grew from a bicycle-delivery operation to an East End Market stall enjoying a cult following to a Walt Disney World staple.
From day one at Disney Springs, Gideon’s Bakehouse has had a long line (we were there!). It’s continued to grow in popularity since, becoming an international sensation among Walt Disney World fans. It’s not just for the iconic cookies anymore, either. Guests line up for cookies and coffee, but also limited-edition collectible merchandise, special releases, and more.
Today isn’t just the 5th anniversary of the Walt Disney World outpost; this year is the 10th anniversary of Gideon’s Bakehouse. With the first location at Disney Springs still doing big business (there are times we’d like a cookie or two but skip it due to the hassle), it makes complete sense for Gideon’s Bakehouse to expand to a new location.
We’re huge fans of Gideon’s Bakehouse, and have been anxiously awaiting this second concept announcement since the signs first went up. We first “discovered” Gideon’s back in 2017 shortly before moving to Florida, and it was hardly a discovery–all of our friends who lived in the area were already raving about it.
When we were locals, their original East End Market location in Orlando was a serious pilgrimage for us–requiring a 2+ hour round trip commute–but one we made often to stockpile cookies. Probably a little too often. We went countless times in the few years before the (much closer) Disney Springs location opened, especially from October to December–when our favorite monthly releases were offered. (And then throughout 2020, when we had nothing better to do and could use the sweet treats.)
Gideon’s Bakehouse has been a smash sensation since opening at Walt Disney World. The existing location still uses a virtual queue at busier times, even 5+ years later. It’s developed a loyal fan following, and understandably so from our perspective, as the cookies are incredible and the shop’s seasonal releases keep people coming back. It’s worked on us!
One thing that’s really surprised us since Gideon’s Bakehouse opened is not how many Walt Disney World fans love it, but how many hate it. Not just in the “it isn’t for me” manner, but in a much more vitriolic way.
It’s one thing to offer an alternative perspective to the rave reviews. “These cookies aren’t to my tastes, and here’s why…” But some Walt Disney World fans take it several steps further than that, deriding the cookies as culinary abominations and insulting anyone with the temerity to enjoy eating them.
As someone who loves the cookies (and cake!) at Gideon’s, I obviously do not agree with those who dislike them. But I do “get” how this style of cookies is not for everyone. They definitely take a “more is more” approach as opposed to a delicate and subtle one. I can completely understand how that’s a turn-off to some people. To each their own–I’ve been disappointed by more than a few foods with cult followings over the years.
What I don’t get is rooting for a small business to fail. Especially one with roots in the Central Florida community. It’s not as if this is some cash grab from private equity or yet another tired concept from one of the big restaurant groups that does everything possible to cut costs.
The restaurant business is brutal for these smaller players, and Central Florida has a burgeoning culinary scene, but it’s still not easy–especially given the nature of the beast with the tourist-centric orientation of the area. Gideon’s may not be for everyone, but how can you not at least appreciate the originality and ambition? Even the exterior and interior design are miles better than virtually everything else at Disney Springs!
Ultimately, we’re really excited for Six Ravens. We will try literally anything that Steve Lewis cooks up after loving so much of what he and the team have made at Gideon’s Bakehouse. We’re also really excited about the collaborations with other chefs in Central Florida.
As cool as it is to see celebrity chefs featured at Disney Springs, I would love it if more local concepts were featured. (As it stands, arguably 3 of the best options at Disney Springs are all based in the Orlando area!) And although there’s only passing reference to it in his interview, we’re most excited for a potential Pizza Bruno Coffyn collaboration. If these hand pies deliver–and we fully expect that they will–the one-two, sweet and savory punch of Six Ravens and Gideon’s Bakehouse suddenly becomes our optimal meal at Disney Springs!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the Six Ravens concept? Looking forward to trying the Coffyns, or are you not a hand pie person? Like the idea of more Central Florida chefs featured at Walt Disney World? Have you had Gideon’s Bakehouse? Do you agree that it’s the greatest cookie in the world? Excited to see the shop add a second location at Disney Springs? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!