It took them a week and a half but the talents of three Mansfield Senior High culinary arts students produced an award-winning gingerbread house at the recent IX Christmas Connection in Cleveland.
Juniors Le’Daeja Lindsay, Gina King and Deajah Haney earned second place among approximately 18 entries at the IX Center – and a $300 check for the culinary arts program.
“These ladies were very precise in their work. I was very impressed,” said Tom Blike, Senior High culinary arts instructor.
Haney said the trio found the basic design for the house in a culinary book. “But we added our own creations,” Lindsay said.
The colorful house features a fenced yard, two bright green decorated Christmas trees at the corners and roof shingles made of Rice Chex cereal. “I’ve seen hundreds of gingerbread houses over the years but I had never seen crushed-up candy canes on the icing snow that these ladies added. It was a nice touch,” Blike said.
Some may ask what secures the walls and roof of a gingerbread house. “Decorator icing,” Blike said. “It’s made of powdered sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar. It hardens like plaster.”
“Frustrating” was the term the three girls used to describe the early stages of the project. “But it became more fun toward the end,” King said.
Blike credited Assistant Principal Scott Musser, who directs the Career Tech Education program, with noticing a call for entries in the IX competition, which was judged on Nov. 17. Musser said earlier this year that he wants each area of the Career Tech program to be involved in competitions with other schools. Teams of Blike’s entire class will produce gingerbread houses this week for annual judging by Senior High faculty and staff.
Source, Photo: Mansfield City Schools; Photo: Creative Commons License
