We’ve come a long way from Hansel and Gretel. As told by some researchers, the tradition of making and decorating houses made from gingerbread began in Germany in the 1800s because of the popular Grimm’s fairy tale. Two children abandoned in the woods by their parents happened upon an edible house made from bread and decorated with sugar. Unfortunately, the house was inhabited by a witch who imprisoned the children with the intention of fattening them up and then eating them. They escaped after Gretel pushed the witch into the oven. The tale may have been a cautionary tale, warning children not to wander into forests. But out of that scary story came the popularity of those houses. Instead of bread, bakers substituted gingerbread and the miniature structures became ubiquitous during Christmas. 

Kailee Moore’s St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Brooklyn

Whether that history is accurate doesn’t affect how much children and adults alike love gingerbread houses. While some home bakers may be happy baking and frosting Christmas cookies, the more ambitious among us take on the challenge of creating gingerbread houses that are truly works of art. Three years ago, the Museum of the City of New York launched a contest to bestow awards on bakers who thought up and then executed gingerbread that represented famous and beloved New York landmarks. 

Caroline Lim aka The Evil Baker gives tribute to Macy’s

At a press event on November 4, Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the museum’s director and president, welcomed the bakers, the judges, and the press to an exhibition that is fun and smells great. (The enticing aroma of gingerbread filled the room.) She noted that the 2024 is the largest yet and this year there were actual trophies – a cookie cutter-like gingerbread man mounted on a base. Wilchfort explained how the bakers for the contest are selected. A clarion call goes out across all five boroughs, inviting people to enter the competition. The theme this time was “Iconic New York,” with bakers asked to create well known buildings, places, or things that represent New York. The entries were then winnowed down to 20, representing all five boroughs. While professional bakers made the cut, others were amateurs, although very talented amateurs.

Judges, left to right: Bobbie Lloyd, Nadine Orenstein, Amy Scherzer, Melba Wilson, and Jonah Nigh

The judges included: Bobbie Lloyd, CEO and Chief Baking Officer of Magnolia Bakery; Melba Wilson, owner of Melba’s restaurant, and a frequent judge on the Food Network; Amy Scherber, owner and founder of Amy’s Bread, who also has a café in the museum; Nadine Orenstein, Drue Heinz Curator in Charge, Department of Drawings and Prints, Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Jonah Nigh, semi-finalist, NBC/Peacock’s Baking It (Season One).

Bobbie said that for her, execution was the most important factor when judging the entries, how well they got their vision to the finish line. Melba said that she looks for creativity. “I look for the actual representation of their borough.” Nadine explained that the judging was done separately, not with the judges in a group debating their choices. She brings a keen eye to the judging since she has also judged the very competitive National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina.

“The WonderWheel/Coney Island“

Big winners were Mario DiBlase of Sotto Voce restaurant, and Susanna Caliendo, of Something Sugar, both located in Brooklyn. They won four awards for “The Wonder Wheel/Coney Island,” including the top one “Best Overall.” They also won “Best Borough Spirit Award” for Brooklyn, “Most Unique,” and “Good Enough to Eat” (a tie with Patty Pops’s “Southern Boulevard”).

Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the museum’s director and president, with Mario DiBlase of Sotto Voce restaurant, and Susanna Caliendo, of Something Sugar

Their “Wonder Wheel/Coney Island” is a whimsical depiction of the famed Ferris Wheel, surrounded by some of the characters and other rides in the amusement park. Mario said the major feat was transporting the large confection without anything being damaged. He said they brought along supplies in case something needed to be repaired, but fortunately they made the trip in a truck with everything intact. Susanna joked that she was holding so many awards she felt she was at the Grammys.

Petroula (Patty) Lambrou with Bronx’s Southern Boulevard

Petroula (Patty) Lambrou, a Bronx native, left her career as a CPA and now runs her cake pop specialty store, Patty’s Pops, full-time. Her creation honored Bronx’s “Southern Boulevard”, with depictions of the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Gardens. She won two awards: “Best Borough Spirit” for the Bronx, and tied for the “Good Enough to Eat.” Although she’s a professional baker, Patty told someone that she does not turn up her nose at some of the “make a gingerbread house” kits sold at places like Costco. Whatever encourages children to bake and create is great!

“The Dakota” by Julia Kiskie

Julia Kiskie, whose Oui Bakely offers custom-decorated cookies for events and also holds cookie decorating classes, wasn’t present to accept her award for “Best Borough Spirit” for Manhattan. But her rendition of the famous apartment building, “The Dakota,” was a standout. The iconic building where well-known celebrities live, continues to enthrall New Yorkers. The only thing missing, one person observed, was perhaps Yoko Ono or another inhabitant peering out of a window. 

Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the museum’s director and president, with Iris Schmidt, of Irisistible Cake House

Iris Schmidt won the “Best Borough Award” for Staten Island with her creation of “Fort Wadsworth.” The owner/baker of the Irisistible Cake House hopes to bring her now online business to one with a physical presence. She was thrilled to win the award and hopes it signals the future. 

Dr. Michael Wolfe and his “Williamsburg Savings Bank”

While most of the award winners were professionals. Dr. Michael Wolfe, a surgeon and weekend baker, won the “Most Realistic Award” for his “Williamsburg Savings Bank.” Although he’s not a professional, he did appear on The Great American Baking Show in 2016. 

The museum’s Wilchfort said that in the third year, this is by far the largest exhibition in the gingerbread competition, a tradition she says will continue. New York and gingerbread seem to be a winning combination.

“The Great Gingerbread NYC Borough Bake-Off” will be on view at the Museum of the City of New York from November 8, 2024 through January 12, 2025.

Photos by Woman Around Town