Mathew Rice, pastry chef and proprietor of Pink Door Cookies, died from colorectal most cancers at Vanderbilt College Medical Heart on July 22. He had lived with most cancers for greater than two years, doing so together with his signature grace, pleasure and humor — a lot of his most ardent followers have been unaware that he was unwell.
Rice opened Pink Door Cookies throughout the pandemic after dropping his govt pastry chef job at Pastaria because of the COVID-19 shutdowns. He first began promoting the cookies from his dwelling kitchen — as many gifted cooks did then — and by the tip of that yr opened a jewel field of a cookie kitchen in Chestnut Hill.
The cookies and the enterprise have been named after the pink door at Rice’s home. The tiny new store was pink and enjoyable, at a time when enjoyable was in brief provide. He tossed rainbow sprinkles into the epoxy on the white ground, assuring a dopamine enhance even earlier than clients ordered their cookies.
The Pink Door kitchen had common hits, just like the rainbow brownie and chocolate chip, in addition to a rotating choice of seasonal favorites, together with watermelon sugar, pink grapefruit gingersnap and s’mores, plus wheat-free and vegan cookies.
Pink Door Cookies caught on rapidly due to Rice’s immense expertise and sunny disposition. Earlier than working as pastry chef at Pastaria, he helped proprietor and superstar chef Gerard Craft open his Area of interest Meals Group in 2025. On social media final week, Craft known as Rice “one in all America’s biggest pastry cooks. This isn’t hyperbole.” Rice additionally labored at The Publican and Lady & the Goat in Chicago and gained the primary all-dessert episode of the Meals Community’s Chopped.
Pink Door expanded to the Nashville Farmers’ Market and started delivery nationwide, nonetheless serving cookies from the Chestnut Hill shoebox. In 2024, it turned clear that the area simply couldn’t sustain with demand. The enterprise relocated to Sylvan Heights. The ground sprinkles have been gone, however the whimsy, pleasure and cookies weren’t. The brand new, bigger area has seating, with picnic tables outdoors, parking and a colourful carpet that brings to thoughts the curler rinks of youth.
On Instagram final week, the Pink Door account posted:
That is Chris, one of many house owners of Pink Door and the life companion of Mathew Rice. I’m so deeply sorry to tell all of you that Mathew handed away Wednesday night. He was surrounded by love and he was not in any ache. Lots of you didn’t know that for over 2 years, Mathew had been dwelling with colorectal most cancers. I say “dwelling with” as a result of he was by no means ever “dying from.” Whereas it was by no means simple, he confronted his analysis with bravery, braveness, and a smile. He was so optimistic and optimistic. The true [embodiment] of optimistic vibes.”
Pink Door Cookies was his dream and what a lovely dream it has grow to be. He began Pink Door in 2020 throughout the pandemic, at a time when there wasn’t a lot to sit up for, a lot to be glad about. He wished to deliver pleasure to the group indirectly. So he made cookies. However not simply any cookies. HIS cookies. Staples like Chocolate Chip but in addition utilizing his childhood recollections as inspiration for flavors like PB&J and Cotton Sweet. And when folks had them, they smiled. They cried. They beloved them. And so they beloved him.
So a lot of you who’ve met Mathew understand how great and magical he was. And he was that great and magical particular person till the very finish. It’s a profoundly devastating loss in so some ways.
I hope you all perceive that the store will likely be closed no less than via the weekend. If we resolve to shut longer, we’ll preserve you posted right here.
Thanks all a lot for serving to fulfill Mathew’s dream of spreading pleasure via a candy deal with. Your love and assist has meant a lot. We hope to see you once more quickly. Love you all bunches.
Rice’s worldview is obvious on the Kickstarter web page from when he launched Pink Door: “I do know what you’re considering, why on Earth would anybody even take into account opening a cookie store in the midst of a worldwide pandemic?!” he wrote. “The reply is fairly easy: life nonetheless occurs. All of us nonetheless have birthdays. Anniversaries are nonetheless worthy of acknowledging. Even when we aren’t having huge celebrations proper now, we’ll once more! However for now, a cookie right here and there could make even the worst days a bit of bit, effectively, sweeter.”
