New York City's most emblematic landmarks have been sweetly reinvented in the 3rd annual "Gingerbread NYC: Borough Bake-off" where the ingenuity of local bakers meets the iconic scenery of the five boroughs. Professional and amateur bakers alike participated in this creative baking competition, hosted at the Museum of the City of New York. Their task: to transform recognizable NYC icons into edible gingerbread masterpieces, as reported by NBC New York.
With the spicy fragrance of gingerbread lacing the air, visitors can view two rows of New York City scenes crafted from dough and candy. Among the constructions are meticulous representations of the Empire State Building complete with superheroes, Rockefeller Center’s famed ice rink, and even realistic-looking pizza pies. The authenticity of these sweet creations is evident, as they are all bound by the competition’s rule: almost everything must be edible, as echoed by ABC 7 New York.
This year's standout submission included a gingerbread version of Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, flanked by Fordham University's Keating Hall and the icy tendrils of the New York Botanical Garden's conservatory, creations of last year’s winner Patty Lambrou-Kalognomas. "There's so much you can do and it's hard to channel which fun ideas you want to run with," Lambrou-Kalognomas told NBC New York, shining light on the bake-off's imaginative demands. "Getting started was the hardest part but once we had our sketch down, time to put everything together, it just became fun."
Joining the lineup, previous participants, Susanna Caliendo and Mario DiBiase have captured the structural complexity of Coney Island's Wonder Wheel this year. It's the fruit of a hundred hours of work, which apprehends the Wonder Wheel’s robustness thanks to DiBiase’s background in steel work, a detail he shared in an interview with ABC 7 New York. Notably, their gingerbread Wonder Wheel doesn’t just stand tall purely for aesthetics; it's a structurally sound creation that survived a pickup truck ride from New Jersey to the city.
This imaginative contest's winners earned bragging rights and gingerbread man-shaped awards. Patty Lambrou-Kalognomas walked away with the "best borough spirit" award, and her creation, tied in taste appeal with the Coney Island gingerbread display. As for advice to aspiring gingerbread architects? "Overbake your gingerbread," said Kailee Moore, who crafted the St. Francis Xavier. The overarching recommendation from the bakers is to simply have fun, especially when decorating with family during the holiday season. The "Gingerbread NYC: Borough Bake-off" will remain on display until January 12, 2025, and on Wednesdays, admission is free for New York residents.