As powdered sugar and candy-cane-lined visions dance through Tualatin High School (TuHS), the culinary arts program is hard at work preparing students for the annual gingerbread house contest. Being one of the most anticipated events for this upcoming holiday season, this confection-based competition is filled with chaos and one major rule: it has to be completely edible!
Working in groups of two or three, the competitors start by choosing a design for the house they plan to build. Some choose the quicker route, using premade patterns supplied by culinary legend, teacher Heidi McManus. Others, however, go big and try to succeed with stencils of their own creation!
Limited to approximately five class periods, the students work rolling out gingerbread pieces and piping frosting, learning irreplaceable skills in teamwork. Once the walls are up and sturdy, half of the job is complete.
In a kitchen of six, however, with two or three separate groups jamming during one class session, spaces can get a little slim, so groups have to strategize on learning to thrive with every inch and minute. Taking a stroll through the dessert-filled classroom, there are always originals, such as Kevin’s tree house from Home Alone, or a parody of the old board game Break the Ice. We see fan favorites such as Snoopy’s doghouse, pretty churches and elaborate farms decorating the counters year after year. With a mix of classic and modern, there is never a lack of creativity in the air of Tualatin.
After the houses are almost finished, with a probable chance of powdered-sugar snow, the teams have to decide on a name for their creation. While we’re taught to never judge a book by its cover, the judging panel decides how well a structure fits its title. Last year, the first and second placeholders were named “The Northern Cabin” and “We Wish Gru a Merry Christmas.”
The first-place victor, “The Northern Cabin,” was a rustic pretzel-log cabin accompanied by draping green vines and a lopsided snowman made out of fondant hanging out beside a candied fire. On the flip side, the Despicable Me-inspired creation that took second was a creative frenzy, with Minions and reindeer helping to adorn Gru’s house in decorations.
“All the creativity and the attention to detail are inspiring to me,” McManus said, “and I think that it’s only gotten better over the years.”
McManus has been at the school for the last 17 years and has done the competition every year since. This year, she is sharing the job of inspiring the creators with new culinary teacher Samantha Brown.
Through sugar-plum-tinted glasses, the gingerbread house competition is viewed as the event of the year for the TuHS culinary program.
