The document provides instructions and tips for creating a gingerbread house for a competition based on the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It emphasizes starting with scale models, adding details and creatures to tell the story, perfecting techniques like using chocolate and fondant, adding embellishments over multiple stages, and transporting and entering the completed gingerbread house in the competition.

1. “Twas the Night Before Christmas” Festival of
Trees Gingerbread Competition
Professional Division
The Art Institute of Atlanta
Instructor: Chef Silvia Medrano
Students: Irene Buntaran, Maia Suzuki
Atlanta 2005

2. It begins with a model

3. To scale and in the round

4. All sides

5. As much detail as possible

6. Fantasize…think big

7. Get good help

8. Even if they’ve never done it before

9. Just keep a sense of humor

10. And document your creations

11. And creatures

12. No matter how small

13. Warts and all

14. Maia’s mouse!

15. Oink!

16. You’ll need all the right tools

17. Learn new techniques

18. And perfect them

19. How about chocolate?

20. Start putting it together

21. Play around with placement

22. Start adding the creatures

23. Add a fondant blanket

24. Don’t forget his pals!

25. Stand back and see the big picture

26. Keep adding details

27. Don’t forget you’re telling a story

28. Those are the building blocks

29. Pace yourself, sleep on it!

30. Embellish the windows

31. Address the rooftop

32. Roofline emblishment

33. Stand back again, see big picture

34. Time to deliver it to competition

35. Pace yourself, sleep on it!

36. Storytelling detail: bedside slippers

37. More winterland detail!

38. Side view!

39. Side view!

40. Back view!

41. Narrate the story!

42. Narrate the story!

43. Narrate the story!

44. Hope it fits in the car: plan early on!

45. Drive carefully over the railroad tracks!

46. Get good directions to loading dock

47. Check out the competition:
Henri’s Bakery!

48. Check out the competition:
Henri’s Bakery

49. Check out the competition:
Le Cordon Bleu (note the size)

50. Check out the competition:
Publix! (Took first place)

52. Accept the award!

53. Dive in to next year’s competition!

54. And again!