"The fine arts are five in number," wrote Careme, the great French chef, "painting, sculpture, poetry, music and architecture – whose main branch is pastry." Recently we were reminded of that when we were invited to help judge a gingerbread house competition. Lydia’s House, a group that helps women and their families make the transition out of abusive situations, asked some area chefs to get creative. The results were auctioned off after they were shown at Plaza Frontenac.
Here’s a sample:
But that’s just a start. This ski-lodge had a back wall full of candy mosaics, and look at the roof tiles.
Here’s a back and front view of an entry with a very local feel. It’s hard to read from the photo, but written on the back was "Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO", and sure enough, the front resembled one of the buildings down on Pestalozzi Street.
The detail work is fantastic. Here’s a sled, with a fingertip, just to give a sense of the size.
Remember, everything in these has to be edible. There was a train station for the gingerbread village.
Here’s the winner, from the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. The whole thing stood about four feet tall. (All the entries were on chest-high tables, which made for great viewing.)
But our favorite was this, the second prize winner from a team of students at L’Ecole Culinaire. Santa has clearly taken his Airstream trailer and gone surfing, leaving his boots next to the Weber Kettle, and a few shopping bags, including one from Tiffany’s, right.
The folks from Lydia’s House hope to do it again next year, with more chefs participating and maybe even an amateur category. Don’t miss it.