Sponsored by IMU Restaurants and Catering, Sugar & Spice and the Tudor Room, Ashley Baughman, executive pastry chef at the IMU, unveiled her giant gingerbread building.
“Gingerbread is a very traditional holiday item, and the entire event that surrounds it is very exciting,” Baughman said.
Baughman, who conceptualized the idea for the project, has been responsible for the oversight of its completion.
“The process starts with research,” Baughman said. “From there you move on to sketching, sketching and then finalizing the sketch.”
Starting with a sketch just last week, Baughman’s idea has evolved into a cardboard cutout model of her final design to plan cutting the actual pieces of gingerbread dough.
In addition to culinary skills, Baughman said this type of project requires a working knowledge of measurements and algebra to be sure all of the pieces will fit together.
“Next, we roll each panel out with dough very carefully and bake them,” Baughman said.
The baked panels were then left to rest overnight before assembly, which Baughman said was the most time-consuming aspect of the process. Once the house had been assembled, the finer details and décor were added.
The gingerbread house is one of several large-scale gingerbread projects that Baughman has created.
“I have completed a replica of the Taj Mahal, a hotel I worked at in Boston and a few different large villages throughout my career,” Baughman said.
Although she said this has been her most challenging project so far, Baughman said it has also been one of the most rewarding.
“I am the only one on my staff that has done a project like this, so I want to make sure they get the experience as well,” Baughman said. “It is very exciting to show techniques and architecture.”
Patrick Brown, the marketing coordinator for the IMU restaurants and catering by Sodexo, said the unveiling has the potential to be the first of many.
“This is a new holiday event that we’d love to turn into an annual tradition,” Brown said. “We’re also hosting a gingerbread workshop for children and their families on Dec. 13 in the Tudor Room, so this is a nice way to lead in to that event as well as usher in the holiday season.”
Brown said he believes the event will challenge students’ perceptions of campus dining by showcasing an example of the talent and creativity the IMU dining staff has to offer.
“Students usually hear ‘campus dining’ and think cafeteria food,” Brown said. “The most rewarding part of all this is the fact we have the ability to offer such a unique and unexpected experience as a campus dining service which helps to turn around any negative connotations surrounding campus dining.”
