At the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, a 7 foot tall gingerbread replica of the White House is on display for all to see.
Xavier Baudinet, Executive Pastry Chef at Grand America Hotel, says that the masterpiece sculpture consists of a wide variety of pastries ranging from rice krispies, gingerbread cookies, sugar candies, and even some doughnuts.
Baudinet and his team of 20 pastry chefs typically start planning the gingerbread sculpture, a tradition for the hotel, well before the holiday so visitors can enjoy the scene. Baudinet says that every year, about 20,000 visitors come to see the sculpture.
According to Baudinet, the planning process usually starts in either June or July and then actual construction of the sculpture begins in October.
The gigantic gingerbread house is made up of 2,000 eggs, 1,600 pounds of flour, 160 quarts of molasses, 500 pounds of sugar, and 450 pounds of icing all decorated with tons of candy. In September, Baudinet’s crew starts baking the cookies and then take roughly two to three weeks to complete construction.
The theme for this year’s gingerbread creation is the White House in 1889 and contains a story that hits close to home for Baudinet, who became a U.S. Citizen this year. Baudinet is originally from France and says that this year’s sculpture is meant to honor the country that he’s grown to love.
