Every year, the Grand America Hotel transforms its shop windows into a winter wonderland, a walkable storybook of holiday spirit. And every year, Chef Xavier Baudinet, the Executive Pastry Chef, figuratively swaps his chef hat for a hard hat in his role of gingerbread house architect. Chef, along with his team, starts imagining, designing, baking, assembling and decorating a massive gingerbread house that is the magical centerpiece of the holiday displays at the hotel. People come from all over the state and all over the world to see it.
Every year, Chef, who is also a painter and artist, comes up with a theme and visual inspiration for the gingerbread house. Sometimes, he starts daydreaming about it as he assembles the previous house. This year, the gingerbread house is very personal. “I decided to name ‘Chateau Louis 1er.’ It’s not Louis XV. It’s Louis for my grandson. He’s three years old.”
Photo by Adam Finkle
This year marks Chef Xavier’s 11th gingerbread house build. The entire process takes months, with the baking starting in late summer. “I do some sketches around April or May,” explains Chef Xavier. “In July, I do the final measurements and a blueprint.” By August, the non-perishable ingredients are ordered, and the rush to bake everything begins because the entire structure is made of edible gingerbread and confections. The finished structure will be 15 feet long and 12 feet tall. This year it is swathed in pinks, blues and greens.
Baking Brick by Brick
“We’ve already ordered a ton of flour, molasses, flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, spices and cinnamon to make the gingerbread cookies,” he says, before going on to explain that they make around 20 batches of gingerbread cookies on average to assemble the gingerbread house. And by batches, Chef Xavier means 200 pounds of gingerbread per batch. “It’s a big volume. We mix the dough, laminate the dough, put it on big sheet pans and bake.
The next day, we cut bricks.” From there, the “bricks” go into dry storage to maintain until it is time to start building. Sometimes, the ginger cookie dough will have color added, depending on the year’s design. “Last year, I did some red for the house tiles,” he finishes.
The gingerbread house isn’t made of gingerbread alone. It usually includes house-made marshmallows, macarons, pretzels, rice crispy treats, and colorful sugar icing. The cement to bind it all together? “We use dark and white chocolate couverture. It acts as a natural glue to hold the gingerbread.”
Raising the Roof: A Team Effort
After months of baking, the team assembles the gingerbread house, a process spanning two to three weeks. And when Chef Xavier says it is a team effort, he does mean the entire team. Staff from various departments chip in to help outside of the pastry team. “I have a schedule,” he says. “People from other departments sign up. Even dishwashers, servers, and cooks help. It’s a true team effort.” It is something of a holiday tradition for the staff at The Grand America before the holiday season hits for the rest of us. “People will say, ‘Chef, when you start the gingerbread house, I want to be in.’ I say,’ No problem.’
Chef Xavier is particularly proud of the diversity of his team. “We have people working in the kitchen, and servers, and employees from different departments all from different countries,” he says. “I have people from Ukraine, Peru, Chile, South America, Europe. I have people from everywhere, and everybody gives me a lot of help for this big confection.” This diversity not only enriches the team but also brings a global influence to the creation of the gingerbread house.
A Strong Foundation
At the beginning of the build, carpenters provide a solid frame to hold the weight of the gingerbread house. “We need a foundation of wood to maintain the whole building. The carpenters are a big help to achieve a giant house,” Chef adds. But the real goal is to use as many edible elements as possible.
Couverture chocolate (/ˈkuː.vər.tʃʊər/) is chocolate set apart by its higher cocoa butter content, ranging from 32% to 39%, compared to regular baking or eating chocolate. When tempered, this elevated cocoa butter level results in a glossy finish, a satisfying “snap” when broken, and a rich, smooth flavor. It also happens to be the perfect mortar for gingerbread bricks.
After framing out, the house is assembled under Chef Xavier’s supervision, brick by brick, shingle by shingle. For the windows, they use Isomalt, a sugar substitute that isn’t impacted by humidity and won’t discolor like regular sugar.
This meticulous process of assembly, overseen by Chef Xavier, ensures that every detail of the gingerbread house is perfect, from the bricks to the windows.
is a holiday tradition at the Grand America— a magical morning with a breakfast buffet, photos, singing and story time. Reservations at grandamerica.com.
Photo Courtesy of The Grand America
Photo Courtesy of The Grand America
Sweet Joy In Seeing the Reactions
As guests wander through The Grand America Hotel during the holidays, they round a corner and are met with the breathtaking sight of the giant gingerbread house tucked along the east side of the building. Its sheer size is a surprise, and the guests’ reactions are a testament to its impact. They pause, taking in the intricate details, their joy and wonderment making it all worthwhile for Chef Xavier.
“For them, it’s a wow. It’s inexplicable. You can see joy and happiness, a lot of guests taking pictures with the kids and grandkids by the house.” It’s a concocted miracle, a testament to the power of creativity and tradition. This year, the joy will be particularly sweet. Chef’s grandson, Chateau Louis’ inspiration, is visiting. “He’s going to come for Christmas to see the house. They live in Connecticut. It’s a big thing for me. For my firstborn grandson.”
After months of planning and baking, at the end of the season, what took two weeks to assemble comes down to two hours. It is always a little heartbreaking. But soon, Chef Xavier will start dreaming of sugary castles to come.
Bulking Up on Ingredients
A massive gingerbread house requires a massive amount of ingredients for assembly. The entire build this year will contain approximately:
- 1,500 – 2,000 lbs of flour
- 300 lbs of sugar
- 2,000 eggs
- 150 quarts of molasses
- 800 lbs of powdered sugar for the icing
- 300 candy canes
- 1,000 gumballs
- 200 lbs of Isomalt for the windows
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