This real and life-size gingerbread house in South Arizona is definitely a treat for the eyes and stomach.
Ritz Carlton is known for their life-size, edible Christmas displays during the holiday season, but a team of pastry chefs from their Dove Mountain branch took this creativity to a whole new level. This year, they decided to build a 19-foot-tall structure that has been open to reservations since Thanksgiving. For $150, you can have a private dining experience in the house ala Hansel and Gretel, sans the evil witch. The sugary structure can sit up to six people, and they could order real meals and beverages from Ritz Carlton kitchen.
At first, the idea seemed intimidating but head pastry chef Daniel Mangione stood by the creative plan. He explains, "There's a lot of gingerbread houses out there but usually it's just a facade and the inside is forgotten about. But this year we really wanted to see if we could make it different."
The gingerbread house will only be around until next week, but Mangione implied that they would build a similar structure yearly. He said, "We want to do something a little different. We're not really too sure what that might be. We might do a sushi counter."
The team started preparing last June to come up with more than 4,000 gingerbread bricks to build the walls and roof of the house. Interiors were accented by gumdrops and peppermints, and perhaps the highlight of this house is the delicious smell of gingerbread contained within its walls. One cannot help but feel the holiday spirit.
Guests from all over the world are going all the way to Arizona to see this delectable and edible abode. Their patrons are mostly kids so they have to check once in a while if any part has gone missing. But, apparently, most of them are in Santa's 'nice list.' The chef shares, "Parents are very good about controlling their kids. We haven't had any major loss of tile."