Unadilla baker featured on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge opens Perry shop

Becky Purser
·3 min read
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After months of anticipation, Sweet Evelyn’s is now open in downtown Perry.

The shop at 910 Carroll St. is brought to you by Unadilla baker and cookie artist Cory Jones, who competed in the Food Network’s 2022 Christmas Cookie Challenge. The shop is a rebrand of his Jones and Company home decor store following a remodel.

The Sweet Evelyn’s rebrand means he now has a storefront for his popular cookies and other goodies.

Baked at his commercial kitchen in Unadilla, his cookies, cupcakes and featured treats are now offered on one side of the store while his home decor, gifts, gourmet food and seasonal items are on the other side. He carries in-house the Happy Everything line by Laura Johnson.

Sweet Evelyn’s opens in downtown Perry. Check out these Some Beach cupcakes.
Sweet Evelyn’s opens in downtown Perry. Check out these Some Beach cupcakes.

Cookies & cupcakes

Sweet Evelyn’s offers a daily cookie and cupcake menu.

On opening day Saturday, cookies offered included O.G., the Nana, classic triple chocolate, mango tajin, cookie monster, sugar cookie tart and a decorated cookie.

Jones is best known for his decorated cookies that he hand-crafts one at a time. The one offered Saturday was a butter vanilla almond sugar cookie.

Baker and cookie artist Cory Jones at his Sweet Evelyn’s storefront in downtown Perry.
Baker and cookie artist Cory Jones at his Sweet Evelyn’s storefront in downtown Perry.

The O.G. is a brown butter bourbon pecan chocolate chip cookie. The Nana, a banana pudding cookie, is named after his Nana, the late Evelyn Goodroe, also the namesake of his cookie business. The cookie monster, which was especially popular with young children in the store on opening day, is a blue sugar cookie with white chocolate chips, Oreo and Chips Ahoy.

Quincy Benitez, in the arms of her grandmother, Lannette Tomlin, gets a cookie from Cory Jones, cookie artist and owner of Sweet Evelyn’s in downtown Perry while her mom, Tyger Benitez and sister, Clover, look on. Tomlin and her husband, Michael, own Clover Wine Merchant across the street.
Quincy Benitez, in the arms of her grandmother, Lannette Tomlin, gets a cookie from Cory Jones, cookie artist and owner of Sweet Evelyn’s in downtown Perry while her mom, Tyger Benitez and sister, Clover, look on. Tomlin and her husband, Michael, own Clover Wine Merchant across the street.

Cupcakes offered included “Birfday,” Marry Me, Chocolate XXX, Some Beach, Rise ‘n Shine and “Shawtcake.” The Rise ‘n Shine cupcake is described as blueberry cake, vanilla buttercream, mini pancake, candied bacon and maple syrup, in a cupcake pipette, a slender tube that’s best squeezed right before eating the cupcake.

Some Beach is described as vanilla cake, coconut pineapple filling, vanilla buttercream and a Pina Colada mixer in a cupcake pipette.

A Some Beach cupcake from Sweet Evelyn’s in downtown Perry. The cupcake is described as vanilla cake, coconut pineapple filling, vanilla buttercream and a Pina Colada mixer. The mixer is in a cupcake pipette, a slender tube that’s best squeezed right before eating the cupcake and not shown in above photo.
A Some Beach cupcake from Sweet Evelyn’s in downtown Perry. The cupcake is described as vanilla cake, coconut pineapple filling, vanilla buttercream and a Pina Colada mixer. The mixer is in a cupcake pipette, a slender tube that’s best squeezed right before eating the cupcake and not shown in above photo.

Jones, who had a steady stream of customers, said opening day was going really well. Later, Jones posted on Facebook that he sold out by 2 p.m.

Sweet Evelyn’s is now open in downtown Perry.
Sweet Evelyn’s is now open in downtown Perry.

The backstory

Jones has been baking and decorating cookies since December 2016 when he became hooked while taking a class with his mother.

He started Sweet Evelyn’s in the kitchen of his home, showcasing his baked goods on social media and selling them by custom-order and via pop-up shops.

His mom, Faye Mixon, continues to help with the baking, having come alongside him from the start. She’s retired, having served as the Dooly County tax commissioner.

His stepdad, Myron Mixon, is a celebrity pitmaster and five-time barbecue World Champion as well as the mayor of Unadilla.

Jones previously served on the Dooly County Board of Education. He currently serves as the Perry Main Street Promotions Committee chairman.

After his appearance on the Food Network, his mom and stepdad gifted him a commercial kitchen that’s located in his hometown.

“It has taken me a couple of days to get my thoughts together about opening day at Sweet Evelyn’s Perry, and all I really know to say is thank you,” Jones posted on Facebook. “My successes would not be possible without my mamma and stepdad.”

He also thanked Mary Catherine, who helps manage the Perry storefront, his sister, friends, and people in the Perry and the surrounding area for their support.

Also, Jones is offering his first decorating class, Sweet Summer Treats, on July 15 in the Unadilla Community Center. Tickets are $100 and include a light lunch. Tickets are required and quantity is limited.

Sweet Evelyn’s in Perry is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The number is 478-224-0559.

Baker and cookie artist Cory Jones at his Sweet Evelyn’s storefront in downtown Perry.
Baker and cookie artist Cory Jones at his Sweet Evelyn’s storefront in downtown Perry.