You too can make a gingerbread house at The Lark Creek Inn.
photo: Charlie Wambeke
Can you blame Hansel and Gretel for wanting to eat the Witch's house? It was, after all, made of that sweetest of building materials, gingerbread. This holiday season, test your gingerbread-building prowess at a number of workshops and competitions around the Bay Area. Here are a few:
The Bay Area Discovery Museum will host a series of workshops, aptly named the Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza, where kids can create their own gingerbread houses festooned with candy canes, marshmallows, gumdrops, frosting and other treats (through December 23; $20 per kit; advance registration is required at 415-339-3900 or at www.baykidsmuseum.org; space is limited).
On December 1st, build a house for the Hansel or Gretel in your life at the fifth annual "Gingerbread Inn" fund-raiser at Larkspur's Lark Creek Inn. Organized to benefit Marin County’s Whistlestop Meals, the event gives guests the opportunity to decorate their own pre-assembled gingerbread houses – with the assistance of some of Northern California’s top pastry chefs – while enjoying sparkling wine and savory hors d'oeuvres (December 1, 11 AM–2 PM; $125 per person; RSVP with Whistlestop at 415-456-9062, ext. 121).
Now that you've gotten some practice, why not try your hand at competitive gingerbread building? Kids, home cooks and culinary professionals are invited to participate in The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay's fourth annual Gingerbread House Contest, a sugary showdown that will be displayed in the hotel’s lobby from December 4th through the 9th. The winners will be announced during the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration on December 9th at 5 PM, and prizes include cash, overnight stays, spa treatments and dining and cooking packages (free to enter but contestants must complete entry forms by November 29; gingerbread houses are accepted at the resort's main entrance from November 30–December 3, 8 AM–8 PM; for additional contest information, call 650-712-7696).
– Meesha Halm