Tis the season for Gingerbread?
It’s never too soon to start!
Last fall I wrote a blog about Chef Nicholas judging the annual National Gingerbread House Competition, hosted by the Omni Grove Park Inn. Well, now it’s late summer a year later, and at ISAC this week Chef Nicholas received a letter asking him to judge the competition again this year! While we are excited to once again be part of this amazing event, I thought I would talk a bit about being a competitor in the National Gingerbread House Competition.
Do you build gingerbread houses during the Christmas holiday season? Do you spend a joyous afternoon or weekend carefully assembling an adorable little house and decorating it with tiny candy and royal icing? Well, imagine doing that for 350 hours. What did you say Stephanie? THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY HOURS!!! The average competitor in the National Gingerbread House competition can spend up to 350 hours designing, baking, constructing, and decorating their entry! I did that math, 350 is the equivalent of 14 and a half days. Those who enter the competition at the Omni Grove Park Inn are very dedicated. They often start planning and brainstorming new designs as soon as the previous year’s competition ends.
Omni Grove Park Inn
Let’s pretend that I am going to enter the competition this year, shall we? Once the rules and regulations form is posted on the Omni Grove Park Inn website (which it is right now!) I can submit my entry form. Even though the deadline isn’t until November 6, 2015, I am going to enter ASAP because I want to secure my spot; this is a very popular event, and I don’t want to be turned away because I waited too long to apply (especially if I plan to spend 350 completing my gingerbread masterpiece!). Reading over the rules and regulations I see that I will sign up for the Adult category (cause I am over 18), and I note that I can compete as an individual or as a team (hmm, not a bad idea since I have a rowdy two year old and mama might go crazy wrangling a toddler and spending 350 hours on gingerbread!). The other categories are Teen (13-17), Youth (9-12), and Child (5-8) and like the adult category can be individual entrants or teams.
Click this link to download a PDF copy of the entry form: National-Gingerbread-House-Entry-Form.pdf
Ok. I have filled out my form and submitted it. Next up I’ll start working on my gingerbread unicorn. That’s right, I plan on making a beautiful and tasty unicorn hanging out in a grove of trees with rainbow leaves. Maybe I’ll make a little pond for the majestic beast to drink water from. Ok, there is my idea. Now, how to execute it? I’ll start by fashioning a metal wire frame for the unicorn body. HOLD THE PHONE! That would be grounds for immediate disqualification. Absolutely everything about my unicorn fantasyland must be edible. EVERYTHING. The only non-edible item allowed is the base, which should be decorated and have little feet or risers. Ok, so no metal, Styrofoam, string lights, not even candy wrapper or lollipop sticks or I will be disqualified from the competition. I rethink my plan, and come up with a way to make a totally edible unicorn, trees, leaves, grass, and pond. I used gum paste, modeling chocolate, fondant, royal icing, gelatin, isomalt, pressed sugar, shredded coconut, pretzel sticks, and ALL manner of candy and sprinkles to make a decorate my unicorn, trees, leaves, grass, and little pond. Perfect, I just spend 350 hours, and I am pretty proud of how my magical unicorn hideout turned out. Exhausted, but proud! Fingers crossed that all my hard work will pay off and I’ll be selected as one of the winners.
My favorite from last year’s competition
Let’s pretend it is no longer August. It is November 15 and I am on my way to the Omni Grove Park Inn. I have to turn in my unicorn either today between 2:00pm and 8:00pm, or November 16 between 7:00am and 8:30am. Now we wait. The judges will go through and carefully and thoroughly inspect each entry; they will check to make sure all items and edible, that at least 75% of each finished project is gingerbread, and that the size limitations have not been exceeded. Judging scores will be based on overall appearance, originality and creativity, difficulty, precision, and consistancy of theme (Theme should be competitor’s own and consistent throughout the entry. There is no required theme for the competition).
Tables fillied with different gingerbread “houses”
After judging has finished winners are announced! Hooray- who doesn’t love prizes! Each age category has three top prizes (first, second, and third), and each age category will award ribbons to the top ten winners. There is also a fun prize for the competitor who traveled the farthest distance to participate! The grand prize winner is not me, sad day. The top honors go to some fancy-schmancy festive firehouse run by Santa’s elves. It’s hard to deny the prize to adorable tiny elves sliding down a peppermint fire pole. GENIUS, pure peppermint genius. In the end I win a top ten ribbon, and I think that is pretty cool for my first (imaginary) entry into the National Gingerbread House Competition. And… I’m not sure if this is the high of winning a ribbon or what, but I’m already thinking that next year I might create a polar bear surfing on an iceberg!
Ok, back to reality. I would very much love to enter the competition one day (preferably when I don’t have a two year old hanging off my leg screaming, “LET ME HELP YOU MOMMY!!” every time I cook in the kitchen). Full disclosure: I have never made a gingerbread house before, and after seeing the work of past competitors at the National Gingerbread House Competition, I have SO much respect for the individuals and teams that put hours, days, and weeks into their projects. Being part of this competition requires skill, dedication, patience, and creativity, but it also means becoming part of a pretty fantastic group of talented people. It’s not just about the competition- after the judging is over, all the entries are kept at the Omni Grove Park Inn throughout the holiday season. People from all over the United States come to visit and view all of the gingerbread creations! Yes, one day I would like to throw caution to the wind, make a gingerbread something (maybe my unicorn!), and see how I fair.
What about all my readers out there? Have you competed in the National Gingerbread House Competitions? Have you won a prize, perhaps the GRAND PRIZE?! For those of you who haven’t entered this prestigious event, have you ever considered it? Why not try this year; it’s never too late to get started on your gingerbread “house.” I mean, the deadline is still months away…
**All photos by S. Ewing/ISAC**
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
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