Some people change careers. These people rewrote the menu. This week on Second Act Stories we highlight an incredible group of entrepreneurs who traded in wildly different first acts for lives spent building bold, food-focused brands. What connects them isn't a straight line or a master plan, but the moment they realized it was time for a second serving: to take what they'd learned, trust their instincts, and build something deliciously their own. These are stories of reinvention, risk, and recipes. Proof that sometimes the most satisfying work comes after you decide to start over.

Steve Lewis is objectively one of the most creative people on the planet. So much so that pure creativity is what motivates him; money just isn't part of the equation. That doesn't mean he isn't successful. He is. Very. But his success is a byproduct of executing his incredible creative vision.

Steve originally wanted to be a professional musician – a goal he achieved by the age of 14 – but a botched hand surgery set him down a different path. After college, he followed his passion for comic books, pop culture and community and opened Uberbot, a unique, high-end art gallery and comic book store. That's where he originally shared the cookies that would become the foundation of Gideon's Bakehouse.

Gideon's Bakehouse is a fully immersive "tattered Victorian" experience – an entire world with stories, characters and histories – that just happens to sell the world's best cookies, according to Insider.com, The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated and a host of other media.

Steve Lewis calls baking a hobby, but his title – Sublime Prince of the Esoteric Order of Cookie – and his accolades say otherwise. This is an inspiring story that chronicles an immensely creative person and his journey to also become one of the world's most renowned bakers.

You can find Gideon's Bakehouse at www.gideonsbakehouse.com, but they don't ship their products. To try them, you have to visit one of the two Gideon's Bakehouse locations, at Orlando's East End Market or Disney Springs.

*******

If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode!

Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack.

Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel.

Follow Second Act Stories on social media:

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.