FIFTEEN ENTER THE STONEHURST MANOR FIRST ANNUAL GINGERBREAD HOUSE CONTEST

At 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 1st, five judges made their entrance to begin their close evaluation to select the winner of the Stonehurst Manor First Annual Gingerbread House contest. Fifteen chefs, bakers, and those up for the challenge from New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts entered to compete for $5,000 in cash prizes. First place and $3000 in cash was awarded to Jennifer Toce of Birchgrove Baking in Montpelier, Vermont.
(Here are the top five finishers.)

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Jennifer constructed a Victorian street scene complete with movie theatre, dress shop, and vendor selling roasted chestnuts. Second place and $1000 was awarded to Adrian Westrope from the New England Culinary Institute in Barre, Vermont with the creation of a Victorian marketplace featuring carolers on the street corner, a produce stand and a rooftop gingerbread Santa’s sleigh and reindeers. Third place and $500 was awarded to Susan Allen of Cakes By The Lake in Center Harbor, New Hampshire for her Christmas wonderland which included a gazebo with guards for the holiday tree and handcrafted street lights. Fourth place and $300 went to Kathy Jane Brown of Methuen, Massachusetts for her gingerbread train station complete with multi-car train filled with people and candy. The fifth place cash prize of $200 was given to Irene Maston of Irene’s Cakes By Design at The Andrie Rose Inn in Ludlow Vermont for her Victorian home with candles in the windows, a dog on the porch and wreath on the front door.

Five judges, each with years of baking experience, had a very difficult task selecting the best of the best. Each structure was evaluated on originality, creativity, theme, architecture, construction, and appearance. All entries had to be completely edible including icing and all toppings. Armature and non-edible supports were not allowed in construction. Caulking, spraying and preserving, other than confections, was prohibited, with the base being the only exception. Many used lightweight internal lighting to provide a warm holiday glow.

First place finisher, pastry chef Jennifer Toce, worked on her entry for 100 hours during the week prior to the contest bringing the total project time to 400 hours. Amazingly, the finished structure was transported from Montpelier to North Conway, approximately 75 miles, all in one piece! When asked why she entered the contest, Jenn told us she hoped to raise money to attend a friend’s wedding in Australia. Each entry was very well constructed and all contained a number of little details, that were often missed at first glance, which obviously represented many, many hours of work. The gingerbread house by Rachel Thomas and Dan Tabor from the Trapp Family Lodge was accompanied by a note thanking the team of ten that worked on the project for more than 125 hours. Only the top five received cash prizes, but every entry was a winner.

A cocktail reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and public viewing followed the judging. The gingerbread structures remain the property of the Stonehurst Manor and will continue to be on display. A definite must-see for the holidays!

Make plans for a visit or participate in the Stonehurst Manor Second Annual Gingerbread House Contest planned for Wednesday, December 1, 2010.