Last week I skipped the Tabletop Letters post. I had family in town and didn’t manage to play any games before (or since). I don’t think they’re game people!
We did, however, go to the 25th annual National Gingerbread House Competition at the Omni Grove Park Inn. I’ve enjoyed the competition for years. It kinda doesn’t feel like Christmas without it, so I don’t know what we’ll do when we move away!
This judged sugar art competition has the criteria that the submission must be entirely edible. Keeping that in mind, the submissions are incredible. Most of them are from the surrounding areas of NC and SC, but some are submitted from considerable distances – Florida, Texas, and even Canada!
There were many different types of gingerbread houses and varying skill levels with entries from children and adults.
Here are just a few of my favorites:
The Grove Park Inn was designed by an amateur architect, Fred Seely and completed in 1913. The hallways are lined this time of year with incredible Christmas trees decked with different themes. The winners of the contest are featured for “Good Morning, America“.
This contest is about as Christmassy as you can get. I say each year that I’d like to enter it myself, but alas … my sugar art is quite lacking. After watching “Zumbo’s Just Deserts” I’ve thought about using isomalt or some molecular gastronomy techniques to improve my game. Maybe one day.
What’s a holiday tradition that you have or would like to start?
Correction: Originally I had stated that the architect for the Grove Park Inn was the same as the Biltmore Estate. I believe someone told me this a while back, but it’s incorrect. The architect for the Biltmore Estate was Richard Morris Hunt.
Melissa Rose Rogers, Author 
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