Middle Georgia baker Cory Jones, owner of Sweet Evelyn’s in downtown Perry, will compete on the Food Network’s “Halloween Baking Championship.” Jones, from Unadilla, is set to face nine other bakers in a haunted mansion setting for a chance to win $25,000.
“Halloween is my favorite,” Jones said. “For a long time, I produced my own haunted houses and was part of like, doing horror makeup and stuff.
“So Halloween’s just always been my jam.”
The seven-episode competition starts September 15 with a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. EST on HBO Max. The first challenge asks contestants to create desserts representing their top Halloween fear.
Jones previously appeared on the Food Network’s “Holiday Wars” in 2023 as part of a winning team and made his debut in the 2022 “Christmas Cookie Challenge.” He is recognized for his hand-decorated cookies.
He began baking and decorating cookies nearly ten years ago after taking a class with his mother in December 2016. Sweet Evelyn’s started in his home kitchen, where he shared baked goods online and sold them through custom orders and pop-up shops. Following his first appearance on Food Network, his family helped him acquire a commercial kitchen in Unadilla.
In June 2023, Jones opened the Sweet Evelyn’s storefront at 910 Carroll St., which sold out early on its opening day and continues to see strong demand. The business is named after his late grandmother, Evelyn Goodroe.
Each week after an episode airs, Jones plans to offer related baked goods at Sweet Evelyn’s for customers. The outcome of the competition remains unknown until the show airs.
“The biggest thing I like to tell everybody in these type competitions is it doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you just keep pushing yourself to do things that you don’t always do,” Jones said. “It’ll take you far.
“So like knowing and going into a competition that is baking more than cookies, which is what I’m known for, if you don’t step out on a limb, I mean, you don’t know how you’ll do. So I always just like to say, push yourself to do something that you’re not always used to doing, and just see how far you can go.”
Sweet Evelyn’s operates Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with contact available at 478-224-0559.
