In his never-ending search for baking inspiration, Steve Lewis, the bakery creator, purchased what he thought was an antique cookbook published in 1898. To his surprise, the margins were filled with faded notes and doodles from what appeared to be a young boy who had dreams of becoming a baker. The name written at the back of the book was “Gideon,” and Steve decided to fulfill that child’s wishes with the name Gideon’s Bakehouse™. Paying tribute to the origins of the name, Gideon’s shelves are lined with strange works of art, aging books, and curious antiquities from the Victorian era.

In October 2016, Gideon’s opened up its first physical shop at the beautiful East End Market, Central Florida’s original food hall, with one employee (miss you Megan) and an $800 budget. Within weeks of opening, that little 286 square foot bakery was being called Best Cookies in Orlando, Florida, the United States, and the Planet Earth from publications ranging from New York Times to The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, Delish.com and countless more. We’ve been featured several times on Insider Magazine, People Magazine, and even made it all the way over to Food Network Brazil!

It’s all been an overwhelming rush of growing pains for a little local business with a single owner, no investors, and tiny staff but, encouraged by our community, we strived to meet demand better and begin to grow. In June of 2020, Gideon’s announced its first Flagship location in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort. With one giant leap, all the doors are open for the future.

The Mission Statement
Gideon’s Bakehouse began in a home kitchen with one goal: to create an extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookie. Fifteen years and thousands of tests later, the work was complete. Our Cookie isn’t a product. It is a history, the sweet and the salty, the thrill of a first kiss, and the solitude of a heartbreak. Our desserts are emotional, personal, and we want to share our journey with you. We stay true to the original process, cutting no corners, putting every handmade detail into the 20 hours required to prepare a single almost half pound Cookie or a tall slice of Cake. We offer up our best expressions to you with a full-hearted invitation to learn more about one another. It is an opportunity to create an experience to remember. That is our brand.