Pretty and Palate-Pleasing: Pink Door Cookies – Find Whimsical Cookies and Sprinkles Embedded in the Floor at this Tiny Sweet Shop
Article by Delia Jo Ramsey
Photography by Mary Craven Photography
Originally published in Brentwood Lifestyle
Founded by Chopped champion and pastry chef extraordinaire Mathew Rice, Pink Door Cookies serves up some of the prettiest and tastiest cookies ever seen.
Located on the ground floor of the BentoLiving in Chestnut Hill building at 321 Hart St., Pink Door is the comforting, albeit COVID-19-inspired, quarantine cookie creation and success story by pastry chef Mathew Rice that Nashville really needed after enduring the devastating March 2020 tornado and COVID-19 closures.
In April of 2020, after being laid off due to the pandemic, Mathew began offering cookies each week for preorder after an astounding number of replies to an Instagram story to gauge interest. He immediately succeeded, baking hundreds of cookies each week, all available for contactless pickup each weekend on the front porch of his home, which was marked by a pink door (hence, the name).
Rotating whimsical cookie flavors include Mathew’s signature chocolate chip, a nostalgic, purple-splashed PB&J cookie, cotton candy cookies, and more. They’re available by the cookie, but can also be purchased by half-dozen or by the dozen for sharing (though one may not want to). Rotating “gluten-free-ish” options are also available — wheat-free cookies, but they are made in the same kitchen as the other cookies.
A baby pink menu beside the window lists flavor options for the day, while fun polaroids of each cookie list ingredients on the right. On the left, a merch wall displays neon logo shirts, mugs, hats and more for sale.
On opening amid a pandemic with no end in sight, Mathew says he just wanted to bring some type of comfort during a scary, uncertain time for all. He began with the classic chocolate chip and built on from there, adding new classic and reimagined flavors each week — most all of which are now featured on a rotating basis at Pink Door’s tiny storefront and walk-up window.
“I’ve wanted to open a cookie shop since I moved to Nashville, and even though it was the year of most uncertainty, I just felt like everyone needed cookies. What started as texted orders and front porch pickups has led to lots of new friends, and now a place for sharing what I love with anyone needing a sweet treat. I just want to try and help make your day a tiny bit better,” says Mathew.
