Buffalo Rising Online

Dec 1st 2007, 9:41am By Christa Glennie Seychew

This weekend (December 1 and 2 from 11AM - 6PM), Gilda's Club of WNY will be hosting its 5th annual holiday event which combines the display of compelling gingerbread houses along with the opportunity to purchase fine handcrafted items from local artists.

Gingerbread, Gifts and Glitz is truly a joy. It is a real treat to tour the beautiful interior of Gilda's House, while perusing the fantastical gingerbread works presented by students, amateurs and professional pastry chefs.

Since the Food Network began airing professional pastry challenges, the skill level demonstrated at events like this has increased dramatically. Though Necco wafers still make great shingles, last year I noted a variety of techniques, including sugar--both poured and pulled--and items lovingly constructed of marzipan, gum paste and, of course, chocolate. The winners were impressive, but so were almost all of the pieces entered.

For any home cook that likes to make the simplest of candies or decorate cakes, Gingerbread, Gifts and Glitz offers a rare opportunity to get inside the minds of professional pastry chefs and to study their work up close. If you're planning to make a gingerbread house this year, no matter how scaled-down it may be, this is the place to find some inspiration.

In addition, the houses are up for auction. On the upper floors of Gilda's, the most seamless creations created by professionals and amateurs go for top dollar. Downstairs, houses made by students are also for sale. Whether you're looking for the Grinch, Santa lounging oceanside, igloos and penguins or castles and knights, there's sure to be a gingerbread house that speaks to you. The fact that the money all goes to charity is just icing on the, well...roof.

If you have very (really, I mean very) well-behaved young ones, it is a great holiday tradition to wander the many cozy rooms of this beautiful house and marvel at the colorful, ingenious and aromatic entries. The houses are delicate and there are a lot of them, so you may want to think twice if you have kids that could have a hard time restraining themselves from touching candy-covered works of art. Additionally, due to the lack of space, the Gilda's website asks that visitors not bring strollers.

The creativity on display at Gingerbread, Gifts and Glitz is not limited to edible structures alone. On the main floor, a stunning selection of jewelry, scarves, bath and body products and decorative housewares are available. The level of quality among the pieces available is really stunning, a far cry from the less enthusiastic work we're used to seeing at the thousands of jewelry/gift/craft shows we stumble into every year. Last year I was impressed to find many items made with great care and attention to detail, using quality raw materials along with tremendous imagination and skill.

Gilda's House of Western New York
1140 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo 14209
716.332.5900