2019 Gingerbread Showcase Creations
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#1 - Come and join our neighbourhoodBy: The Parkwood Court Team - Revera
What was your inspiration? Our inspiration was to showcase all the diverse communities that come into our home to visit our residents. As well to show how many diversities we have working in our home. We decided to use the flags of each community to show who comes in as a lot of great people come to us and outsiders may not know. How long did you take to make your creation? Two Weeks. What was the most challenging part? Having time to put it together and decorate. Lots of ideas but may not necessarily work out when you do it. What are you most proud of? The team coming together to build this and setting aside time for it. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Nothing unique but we tried to showcase as much gingerbread as could be, as well it is a gingerbread showcase! |
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#2 - It's a small worldBy: Residents and Staff of Sunrise Senior Living of Victoria
What was your inspiration? Dr. Suess! How long did you take to make your creation? Four Weeks. What was the most challenging part? Icing the flags on each gingerbread person. What are you most proud of? Resident and staff participation. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? 40% Hard Work, 10% Talent and Skill & 50% Love. |
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#3 - Diversi-tweetBy: Amy Dauer, Brady MacCarl, Julia Berry, Malcolm MacLean
What was your inspiration? The crane (it was a flight of imagination) How long did you take to make your creation? As long as it takes to fly south for the winter (an egg-sessive amount of time!) What was the most challenging part? Bird brain. What are you most proud of? Taking it to the nest level. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Winging it. |
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#4 - Sharing our landBy: Ashley Drummond
What was your inspiration? Being outdoors is what I enjoy most. I love hiking with my dog through the woods and up mountains. On Vancouver Island many property owners and companies have closed off trails so that people can no longer enjoy certain parts of this amazing island. This piece represents sharing your space with others as well as wildlife. Using space but not destroying all the amazing growth around it and letting others, both human and wildlife, enjoy it. Being part of a community that respects the motto “leave no trace” and values having a minimal footprint, I added solar panels, compost and recyclable bins to show that we need to respect the earth and every living being on it. How long did you take to make your creation? Around 80 hours What was the most challenging part? Trying not to eat all the candy! But also icing the small trees as my icing bag kept getting too warm and the icing would just fall off. What are you most proud of? I am very proud of what I created, never having built a gingerbread house before. I would say I am proud of my outhouse toilet as it was the first thing I made with fondant! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? I don’t think I used a unique ingredient. As for technique I tried to use many different types of edible foods to make different textures throughout the piece, such as gingerbread, rice krispies squares, fondant, ice cream cones, etc. |
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2019 Award:
Best First Impression 
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#5 - Kung hei fatt choy!By: Audrey Wang & Heather White
What was your inspiration? We’ve been friends for over 20 years with most of it spent living in Hong Kong and Singapore. Victoria’s Chinatown holds a special place in our hearts - not only do we feel very much at home here, but we’re proud that it is the oldest Chinatown in Canada! We also sincerely hope that the Provincial Government will make Victoria’s Chinatown the site of the new Chinese Canadian Museum! Our gingerbread creation is inspired by the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. While the holiday is Chinese, this unique festival - with lion dances, copious amounts of food and gifts of lucky money – is about happiness, good health and prosperity for all. How long did you take to make your creation? About 80 hours. Much of it was spent “figuring stuff out”! What was the most challenging part? Making a tall structure with only edible pieces. What are you most proud of? Getting all the little uniquely Chinese details down – like the stone guardian lions, the roof details, the lanterns, lamp posts etc. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Not really. Besides gingerbread, we used rice crispy treats, fondant, gum paste, royal icing, chocolate wafers, pretzel sticks, candies and licorice. |
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# 6 - Diverse animal community at woodland lotBy: Anne Kravik and Bea Kostyk
What was your inspiration? Family Ideas. We want to thank Debbie, Chase, Jennifer and Ron for their ideas and help with our creation. How long did you take to make your creation? 80 to 90 hours at least. What was the most challenging part? Trying to build the silo and the animals along with working the sugar water. What are you most proud of? Making it the right height and scale. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Most of the techniques we used were unique to us! |
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#7 - Preparing for the Christmas countBy: Brenda Woods
What was your inspiration? I wanted to illustrate this theme whimsically. In my research, I came across the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, run locally by the Victoria Natural History Society every December. The idea of a diverse bird community preparing together, and excited about, an important yearly event intrigued me. How long did you take to make your creation? I estimate that this project took at least 120 hours. What was the most challenging part? The Arbutus tree was the most challenging aspect, structurally and aesthetically. What are you most proud of? Despite multiple failed attempts at a few elements, I kept at it. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? I used cinnamon sticks to aid the structural support of the tree, and watered down gingerbread piped onto the lower trunk structure as texture. |
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#8 - Christmas at Sugar Plum Hollow & everyone's invited!By: Carie L. Miller
What was your inspiration? This year’s theme of ‘Building a Diverse Community’ inspired me to consider what my ideal scenario of diversity might look like. I imagined a time and place where everyone from every background, ability, sexual orientation and gender, is safe, respected and welcome. A place where our own unique insight into the spectrum of human experience is cause for celebration. So, in the spirit of diversity and inclusion, we decided to throw an enchanted holiday party -- and everyone is invited! Using the rich diversity of our west coast forest ecosystems as an inspiration for the enchanted ‘Sugarplum Hollow’, we have the Sugarplum fairy, inviting everyone to her home, hoping to make new friends and create a joyous festive moment, for everyone to celebrate and share in their gratitude for each other. How long did you take to make your creation? I have been working at least an hour (or 2 or 3) a night and every weekend. 100+ hrs. What was the most challenging part? Engineering an internal structure that was gingerbread and completely edible and could hold up the weight of the gingerbread bark. Managing time & sculpting the fairies proved to be far more difficult than originally thought. What are you most proud of? I am so proud of all of the little details that provide the backdrop for telling the story. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? The tree bark is gingerbread that was baked, scorched, then molded in place; the floors are construction gingerbread scored to look like wood, all the furniture, the little details and the fairies were created by hand, using gingerbread clay; the windows are isomalt; and absolutely everything on this board is edible! |
2019 Award:
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#9 - A place to call homeBy: Christine and Peter Cooper
What was your inspiration? An article on affordable housing and modular housing for the homeless. How long did you take to make your creation? 250 hours. What was the most challenging part? The Mural. What are you most proud of? All the fondant figures and the crane. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Brushing on edible glue before applying the Royal Icing. |
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#10 - Building a community through diversi-treeBy: Dorothy Baker, Taylor McKinnon, Kati Stephenson
What was your inspiration? Our inspiration is the diversity & community connections that make Victoria a great place to live. Taylor and I (Dorothy) built our first decorated gingerbread house about 20 years ago, when she was 7 years old. We carried on this tradition for many years and then life happened; we had a gap of about 10 years, but we still went together to the Gingerbread Showcase each year and were always dazzled by the wonderful creations. This year we thought, "It’s time to enter the Showcase ourselves!" Through sharing we were inspired to create the “Diversi-Tree.” Anchored by a great tree, people of all shapes, sizes, origins, personalities, and perspectives come together to contribute to our common good. A series of paths and lanes connect our homes to nature and each other, joining us all together in community. How long did you take to make your creation? 91 hours What was the most challenging part? The tree trunk…holding it together without any non-edible parts. We used large pretzel rods instead and it seemed to work! What are you most proud of? Our friendship through the years. We have always had a tie to gingerbread, and the Showcase brings us together every year. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? The trunk of the tree is made of rice krispie treats covered in fondant. The rest of the display is made of gingerbread. |
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#11 - Hands up in the airBy: Pamela Parton, Elspeth Rodger (10 yrs) & Carsten Rodger (9 yrs)
What was your inspiration? The hands were inspired by one of the many symbols of diversity. We placed the hands on top of each other to show many different hands working together. The people are wearing a t-shirt which represents their particular interest. They are standing together in harmony admiring the result of their combined efforts. How long did you take to make your creation? Approximately 1 month. What was the most challenging part? Deciding on an idea was the most challenging. The second most challenging part was assembling the hand tower. What are you most proud of? We think the people are pretty cool. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Not that we know of! |
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#13 - Diversity elevates everyoneBy: Anne Pokocky
What was your inspiration? I was inspired by the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity evident in my community. People from many and varied walks of life reside together in our neighbourhood. There are couples, young families and retirees; there are students, professionals and small business owners. I believe the diverse nature of our community makes us stronger together. How long did you take to make your creation? 50-60 hours What was the most challenging part? Designing a stable structure which met the height requirements. What are you most proud of? The representation of trees and rocky formations, which are so much a part of the Victoria landscape. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? I used several different versions of gingerbread and combined them with unusual ingredients such as quinoa and coffee grounds to achieve interesting looks and textures. |
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#14 - The world is our neighbourhoodBy: Saanich Neighbourhood Place Staff
What was your inspiration? Nurturing and building strong, healthy families and connecting our communities. How long did you take to make your creation? 10 hours. What was the most challenging part? Finding the time to all get together. What are you most proud of? The team’s creativity and ability to get the job done. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Out two largest kitchen bowls were used to create the globe. Throughout the week, they are filled to the brim with beautiful, delicious and nutritious hot and cold salads, made with love from our food rescue specialists. This time around they were packed full of krispies and marshmallows and used as the mold. |
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#15 - The xennialsBy: Dr. Emily Roback
What was your inspiration? The Xennials are described as the following: First Millennials, micro-generation born during the cusp years of Gen-Xers and Millennials, between 1977-1983. The group that experienced analogue childhood and digital adulthood, possess both Gen X cynicism and Millennial optimism and drive. Researchers say this is one of the best generations because of their contribution to family and society. How long did you take to make your creation? 1 month What was the most challenging part? Finding the best gum paste to stick it all together. What are you most proud of? My dog did not jump on the counter and eat the whole thing, she did steal a few logs though! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Made my own edible glue to make sure all the logs stuck together. |
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#16 - SHED: Santa's helpful elf departmentBy: HCMA Architecture & Design
What was your inspiration? We wanted to highlight the design and construction process that we live everyday, which involves a team of many people with all sorts of backgrounds. From architects and designers to engineers and tradespeople, and of course the client and user. The process is a diverse community, building something together. How long did you take to make your creation? 2 weeks design and 2 weeks construction. What was the most challenging part? Designing and planning out the gingerbread panels to be baked. What are you most proud of? Our Awesome Team! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Welding together candy canes for the structure. |
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#17 - The island of misfitsBy: Red Sugar - Sarah Chan & Jaclyn Ellis
What was your inspiration? There are many great Christmas classics, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is one of our favorite childhood memories and, of course naturally, one of the best songs in Christmas history. We love the fact that these toys are unique but considered outcasts of their own communities. They have found each other and leaned on each other for support. Together they are better because they all are different and diverse and have built this amazing community. Even the bumble the ultimate outcast and "Baddie" gets accepted in the end. How long did you take to make your creation? 2 weeks. What was the most challenging part? Budgeting time (Wish there were more hours in a day) and finding the right recipe. What are you most proud of? That we did it!! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Not a unique ingredient but Royal Icing was the way to go for this project. |
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#18 - Diversity-unityBy: Jennifer Rowse
What was your inspiration? The Tree of Life and the values that are a part of building a diverse community. How long did you take to make your creation? Around 100 hours. What was the most challenging part? The decision making process for the design. What are you most proud of? Completing it. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Don’t think so. |
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#19 - Just a good old doll houseBy: Kael Snashall
What was your inspiration? A friend brought me to the showcase last year and I thought it would be a cool challenge to attempt to create. How long did you take to make your creation? I started building about a month before the showcase due date, working a little bit at nights and knocking off bigger amounts on the weekends. Probably in and around the 50 plus hours. What was the most challenging part? Being this was my first time attempting a gingerbread house of this scale. I would have done lots differently looking back on it. Overall I'd say the most difficult parts were the strength and overall size of the structure itself, along with managing my time effectively. What are you most proud of? I'm just proud I was able to complete on time. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Honestly I didn't do as much research as I should have. I was winging almost the whole project, and the techniques changed along the way as a result of seeing what worked and failed. |
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2019 Award:
Best Interpretation of the Theme 
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#20 - Monsters at bayBy: Nando Castillo - Revera Parkwood Place & assistant Kailan Ma
What was your inspiration? To build a diverse community, individuals must first find a way to get along. Sometimes, we need something to stand against so that we can stand together. We wanted our Gingerbread Creation to embody unity. Therefore, in this Habitat where anything is possible, the people of this town put their differences aside to keep the Monsters at bay, They do it for a better tomorrow - They do it for Humanity! How long did you take to make your creation? 60+ hours. What was the most challenging part? The most challenging part was the tedious work such as measuring and cutting the bricks and then assembling them with icing in between. Learning on the go was also a challenge - ie: using fondant for the first time-Youtube was very helpful! What are you most proud of? How the Lighthouse and the cliffs turned out.... And the concept! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Rice Krispy squares as the foundation of our landscape. I'm talking a "bunch" of Rice Krispies and Marshmallows! |
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#21 - A Victoria blockBy: Laura Li Foa Wing, Joanna Sikorski
What was your inspiration? The Barcelona "superblocks"- Victoria style. We both love to travel, and although neither of us have seen the superblocks in person we love the idea of having walkable, mixed-used spaces that encourage community interaction and a healthy lifestyle. How long did you take to make your creation? Five evenings of baking and three days of decorating. What was the most challenging part? Measuring and cutting what felt like 100 pieces of gingerbread…and dealing with all the post-bake warping. What are you most proud of? Everything! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Minimal procrastination. |
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#22 - The bridgeBy: Carmen, Chris, Lavina, Sol and Rebecca - Source Online Book Keeping
What was your inspiration? Our love of Victoria, and to try and recreate the beauty we see everyday in our unique town. How long did you take to make your creation? 50 hours. What was the most challenging part? Deciding what to design that could relate to a shared experience we all had. What are you most proud of? Coming together as a team to submit something we can all be proud of. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? We used a unique technique with isomalt to create a glass/water look. |
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#23 - Cosmopolitan connectionBy: Lloyd Gilmore
What was your inspiration? Getting enjoyment from seeing people admire the creations on display. How long did you take to make your creation? About 100 hours. What was the most challenging part? Coming up with the idea. What are you most proud of? Coming to the Gingerbread Showcase for the last eight years and entering for the last few years. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? No. |
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#24 - Noah's big dream: building a diverse animal communityBy: Loryn, Loa (10), & Neiko (7) Heath
What was your inspiration? We love to visit the Habitat for Humanity Gingerbread showcase, and last year we promised ourselves we would participate! We wanted to be a part of your community, learn some new skills, and try our hands at gingerbread! Together as a family learned so many tips and tricks on how to make a successful creation. We hope you are inspired to try it too! How long did you take to make your creation? Our creation has taken us many evenings after work and school, I estimate it will have taken us about 50-60 hours. What was the most challenging part? As inspired amateurs, we had to start from scratch! We made templates, tried 3 dough recipes, tried embossing the dough in several ways, different icings, and we learned how to make fondant animals, and “water” out of candy. Getting the gingerbread perfect for construction was the most challenging. What are you most proud of? We are most proud we managed to pull it off as a family without the dog eating too much, and all the new skills we learned in participating in this fun community event. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? We used shortening instead of butter (less spreading) and cooked it low and slow for a firmer outcome. We embossed the dough and brushed it with flour (before cooking). We also used ALL the candy we could get our hands on. |
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#25 - Professor X's School for Gifted YoungstersBy: Natahan Groot & Miranda Lamoureux
What was your inspiration? This was arguable the hardest part! Late one night while thinking about the theme, I came up with the concept of the X-Men. The X-Men was one of my most favorite TV shows as a child. In the comics, there are many different factions of humans and mutants. Each faction is primarily concerned with their coexistence or nonexistence with each other. The X-Men in particular work towards creating equality between humans and mutants. To me, the comics are representative of embracing cultural diversity, acceptance, and building a diverse community! How long did you take to make your creation? 120 – 150 hours What was the most challenging part? Ironically the gingerbread itself! I started working on the structural walls but they seemed to be cracking and not holding weight as well as I had hoped. While making the 3rd batch of gingerbread, my fiancé asked why I was adding so much butter. Needless to say, 1.5 sticks of butter does not equate to 1.5lbs of butter! What are you most proud of? The corners and joints! I literally bought a protractor set to ensure my creation was as square as possible! Each panel was shaved down to match the cardboard template and the edges were shaved down to 45 degree angles. This improved the structural integrity of the house. I didn’t want to hide the edges or seams with decorations or fondant. A true gingerbread house needs to show off gingerbread! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? I used a zester to shave and shape the gingerbread. |
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2019 Awards:
1st Place Amateur, Most Creative & Original, Kickoff Kudos 
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#26 - OriginsBy: Selena Oliveira
What was your inspiration? When I heard the theme of diversity my mind immediately went to the ecosystem – it is the most diverse thing on this planet. How long did you take to make your creation? I’m getting better at not procrastinating and gave myself four weeks to build my creation. What was the most challenging part? Making the quantity of royal icing and rice treats in a normal kitchen is always challenging and time consuming. Having a structure 1 ½ feet out of only edible material is a challenge but it always amazes me how many creative ways other bakers tackle this requirement. What are you most proud of? I am always proud when I figure out the structural component of the piece. Working only with edible materials can be a challenge. I also attempted making modelling chocolate! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? I used 900 soda crackers for the framework of my stump |
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#27 - DollhouseBy: Trielle & Brittany Mills
What was your inspiration? When we thought of diversity, we wanted to encompass every individual in a meaningful way with worldwide inclusion. We took our time to ensure we included all the world’s flags. We also wanted to include major holidays that are celebrated throughout December, so we created a gingerbread dollhouse to display this inclusivity and diversity shared amongst nations around the world. How long did you take to make your creation? 100+ hours. What was the most challenging part? Finding a way to incorporate all of the world’s flags into our creation! What are you most proud of? Being able to be a part of such a meaningful organization. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Just our love |
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#28 - Who are the people in your neighbourhood?By: Veronica and Alyssa Norman
What was your inspiration? Sesame Street was my introduction to a diverse community 50 years ago and I have a real fondness for the magic of 123 Sesame Street. My kids grew up watching it too. I think it connects a lot of people from many generations and backgrounds while setting a great example of living harmoniously because of our differences not in spite of them. How long did you take to make your creation? We probably spent about 50 hours on it. What was the most challenging part? The most challenging part structurally is trying to keep it proportional. The hardest part decoratively was having a higher ratio of uncovered gingerbread than we've done before. What are you most proud of? We're really proud of finishing it and having it look like our original layout. We're also pretty happy with the figures, they're newer territory for us. Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? We used a clay extruder to make some of the detail pieces. It was a fun tool to work with |
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#29 - Our bio-diverse homeBy: Jena Mailloux & The Elves (Jenny, Andy, Laura, Ashley, & Dylan)
What was your inspiration? I wanted to celebrate the resiliency and bio-diversity of our natural environment. Vancouver Island is a very special place to call home. Our surroundings are diverse and accepting; with every tree, animal, and species of moss I see, I fall in love with this place even more. In the middle of this creation, you’ll see a giant Garry oak tree. What better way to showcase our bio-diversity more than to highlight an eco-system in which over 150 species rely on to survive? Knowledge Nugget: Less than 5% of Garry oak eco-systems remain intact, which is it is so important to protect them! How long did you take to make your creation? Around 40 hours with help from some very creative friends What was the most challenging part? Finding the time to make everything! I originally tried to decorate the moon with icing, but it looked worse than awful so I had to host a re-do party. What are you most proud of? I’m proud of myself for not eating all of the gingerbread, because that was a very real battle for me (my Mom was not around to tell me: ‘stop eating the dough Jena!’ and my friends were too kind to say anything). I’m also proud of how everything came together. I don’t have significant experience with the art of gingerbread-ing, but having something to show is very rewarding! Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? The Garry oak tree branches are made of grape vines and the leaves on it are made of seaweed. The grass is dried dill! The moon in the back is painted with food colouring, and the poured sugar river has pumpkin seed rocks inside! |
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#30 - Mars bio-domeBy: Daniel Dunlop - Vista 18
What was your inspiration? I think the primary inspiration on the dome part was the Jetsons. To live off-world you need a diverse community to survive. How long did you take to make your creation? Roughly 100 hours What was the most challenging part? Hexagons… trying to build a dome out of gingerbread. What are you most proud of? How the dome turned out and the sugar work Did you use a unique ingredient or technique? Folding sugar |
