The annual gingerbread house decoration competition for students at the Culinary Arts at the LoGuidice Center through BOCES in Fredonia was held earlier this week. Dave Caccamise, Culinary Arts Instructor at the LoGuidice Center in Fredonia, said that the first in-person judging of the competition since the pandemic had an “overwhelming” response from students and faculty throughout the BOCES campus.

“We had a good turnout. The whole faculty and students of the campus were invited. I was very pleased with the amount of people coming down,” Caccamise said.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two years of the contest had to be judged virtually, but with a return to normalcy this year, the contest was back to its usual holiday cheer.

“People loved the return to this method,” said Caccamise. “It just wasn’t the same the last two years.”

Aron Tinsley and Joshua Jones, not pictured, earned first place among the junior class of students from the Culinary Arts course at the LoGuidice Center in Fredonia.

Caccamise has held the annual contest for 27 years as an instructor, including nearly two decades at BOCES. But this year in particular was especially impressive, according to the veteran instructor.

“We heard from many people that it was one of the best years ever,” said Caccamise. “So many of the houses, especially among the seniors, really stepped it up this year.”

First place, second place, and third place winners for both juniors and seniors were selected. Jack Whitaker earned first place among the senior class, while Zeah Wojcinski took second place, and a tie for third place was shared between Hunter Logan and Rosalee LeBeau. Among the juniors, Aron Tinsley and Joshua Jones earned first place, Kiarra Covert and Morgan Warlikowski took second place, and Drew Ernewein and Calvin Hilliker finished in third place.

The contest is judged based on five criteria: Use of Materials, Creativity, Overall Appearance, Holiday Spirit, and Teamwork/Individuality. Junior students work in pairs, while senior students are encouraged to work individually, or to pair up if they desire. The project must be edible, with the exception of lights added for decoration.

The 12-day project requires students to design, bake, and decorate their houses with a recipe for the gingerbread dough and for special icing to hold the house together. The dough is comprised of 7-8 cups of unsifted all-purpose flour, two tablespoons and two teaspoons of ground ginger, one tablespoon and one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, two teaspoons each of baking soda and salt, 2.5 cups of sugar, 1.5 cups of (softened) unsalted butter, 1.5 cups of molasses, and half a cup of water. The special icing contains three large egg whites at room temperature, one pound of confectioners’ sugar, one teaspoon of cream of tartar, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Submitted Photos Pictured are some of the gingerbread houses made by the LoGuidice Center culinary students.

In addition to trophies and prizes presented after holiday break, another honor is available to a group of the winners. Caccamise’s class has recently partnered with the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute to allow junior class winners to compete in the Institute’s competition next December as high school seniors. The houses they design and create will be auctioned off by the Institute. Caccamise is hopeful some of his juniors from this year will compete in the competition next year.

“I tell my students that any culinary school you attend, they will spend time on a gingerbread house project around the holidays,” said Caccamise. “This is one of my favorite times of the year. It really shows the kids’ creativity.”