By Jim Carchidi
July 10, 2026
Fans of Gideon’s Bakehouse are anxiously awaiting the debut of its sister concept, Six Ravens, nearing completion at Disney Springs. The grab-and-go eatery will offer savory hand pies – called Coffyns – with gourmet potatoes, a selection of dips, dessert tarts, and craft beer. As the soft opening approaches, Gideon's founder Steve Lewis shared Six Ravens details and inspirations with The Orlando Real.
Decorative icons including recently added door pulls highlight the Six Ravens location in The Landing district at Disney Springs. Images courtesy of Six Ravens
Prologue
Before baking became his business Lewis practiced it as a hobby, taking 15 years to perfect his version of a chocolate chip cookie. Legend has it he found the name “Gideon” written in the margins of an antique recipe book. His small-batch, half-pound cookie creations would earn a following from a walk-up counter that opened at Audubon Park's East End Market in 2016. The location afforded the opportunity to decorate with the brand adopting its signature design styles.
New menu items and seasonal offerings were accompanied by whimsical characters created by Gideon's Art Director, Michael Reyes, which quickly became collectors items. Character appearances on trading cards and art prints briefly included a mysterious woman with the ability to transform into a raven. More about her later.
Reyes recently stepped down and is pursuing other projects, but the brand will continue with its limited-edition merchandise runs.
Meanwhile, Lewis lavishes hands-on attention to every company detail from flavor combinations to product photography. And the personal investments continue to inspire the appreciation of a community of fans.
“The attempt in the world of Gideon’s and Six Ravens is always to do something uniquely expressive that can’t easily be found in other places,” Lewis said.
Six Ravens (center) is among Gideon's Bakehouse personalities that include Barnabas Mephistophelittle (left) and Stuart Valencia (right)
Steve Lewis also discussed his path to Gideon's Bakehouse during a 2024 interview with The Orlando Real's Ken Pozek.
Starting a new chapter
The Disney Springs story arc began with a Gideon's cookie on a secret menu at The Polite Pig, which was then featured on the Disney Food Blog. The resulting attention led to an offer from Disney for Lewis to fill a standalone storefront with a new Gideon's Bakehouse location, currently celebrating its fifth anniversary. The expansion garnered global fame, more adoring fans, and the most recent challenge of creating a brand new Disney Springs concept. Here, Lewis discusses the beginnings and ongoing creative process behind Six Ravens.
Coffyns and gourmet sides will be staples of the Six Ravens menu.
When did Disney approach you for a follow-up to Gideon's Bakehouse?
This all started not long after Gideon’s opened at Disney Springs. Knowing how long the development timeline can be, I started prepping growth almost immediately after opening. I knew I wouldn’t want to open more Gideon’s locations, but it is my responsibility as a business owner to expand the opportunities for my team. So we set up a meeting with our friends at Disney and presented five spin-off concepts, letting them pick the one they thought was most needed for Disney Springs guests. They chose Six Ravens for its grab-and-go nature and its ability to, hopefully, succeed in a small space. There was no direction or influence on the design or menu beyond typical in-the-moment conversations between creatives. That team has always been incredibly generous about letting us be us.
What inspired the Coffyns?
Originally it was me in my kitchen, making hand pies from my old pie crust recipe. It wasn’t standing out as I had hoped, so the creative talents in Gideon’s kitchen started to play with a Plan B.
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the Big Fat Yeast Roll at Quincy’s Steakhouse. I thought, “What if a sandwich were stuffed inside that roll?” Boom. Six Ravens was born. We played with the concept internally for a few years until we felt we had something consistent.
We also wanted to highlight talents from the Central Florida food scene and offer the spotlight I was once given at The Polite Pig. So we reached out to some of our friends: Eliot Hills and Seth Parker from Red Panda Noodle, Bruno Zacchini III of the famed Pizza Bruno, and Ian Russell at Smoke & Donuts. They added their creative experiments and over the course of a year, things really started to come together. We’ve since expanded the collab list with The Pink Salamander and Papi’s Burritos.
Which breweries are you working with for Six Ravens and how will the beer menu be curated?
This was a tough area for me since I’m not a drinker and know absolutely nothing about beer. I trusted my team to reach out to places like Sideward Brewing Co. and Ravenous Pig. Then, for the first time ever, we hosted tasting events and started gathering feedback in the new Six Ravens production kitchen. We joke that Gideon’s menu is a dictatorship of exclusively my palate, but Six Ravens is so much more of a community effort and it’s been an exhilarating ride.
Stories yet to be told
Six Ravens occupies a Gothic storefront inspired by the nearby Gideon's Bakehouse building. Photo by Jim Carchidi
Can fans expect Gideon’s character crossovers or will Six Ravens have its own cast?
Six Ravens is part of Gideon's lore, but they are separate worlds. With that said, yes, we plan to leave Gideon’s Easter eggs inside Six Ravens packaging, and Six Ravens merch will still be part of gideonsbakehouse.com, not its own separate thing.
We hinted at the story of the Six Ravens a few years ago. She is a character who was featured, but with a different art style than the typical Gideon’s character, stating that “she enters our world as if visiting from another.” This is because we knew she would spin off into her own concept. In Michael Reyes’ time as art director we never attempted to flesh out full stories; instead, hinting at bigger ideas in the waiting.
Will the Six Ravens menu remain exclusive to Disney Springs or will Gideon’s at East End Market get its own savory items?
Right now, there are no plans to expand the Six Ravens world of savory to other places. It’s way too early in its life to understand how it wants to evolve. But unlike Gideon’s, which is more of an art project than a business, Six Ravens is scalable and far more thoughtful in its logistics. It was created to have potential if we see it, or stand alone if we don’t.
Do you have any plans to change Gideon’s East End Market location?
Part of me wants to revisit the design. When I opened that space I was hopelessly broke and couldn’t come close to matching my imagination. But I’m also sentimental, and Gideon’s is about to turn 10 years old at East End. Changing it feels odd.
As exterior additions continue to arrive, is it safe to say Six Ravens will still open in the summer?
Yes! We hope to have a very quiet soft opening soon. The production kitchen is staffed and ready, and we’re in the final phase of construction. It’s always a challenge to turn a small retail space into a working restaurant, and all the strict rules and regulations that come with that. Six Ravens is a challengingly little space, but it’s also immersive, cozy, and hints at a story yet to be told.
Follow Six Ravens social media for information on the upcoming opening. And hear more about the beginnings of Gideon's Bakehouse in Ken Pozek's 2024 conversation with Steve Lewis on The Orlando Real YouTube channel.
Sponsor: The Orlando Real is sponsored by the Pozek Group — the #1 real estate team in Orlando and the Official Real Estate Team of the Orlando Magic.
About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
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