“I hear the people coming in when they go to vote, and I swear every year, they say this year is better than last year,” Caccamise said.

Juniors and seniors of the Culinary Arts class at Erie 2 BOCES designed custom gingerbread houses to be judged by the students, faculty and staff at BOCES throughout the day.

This year marks the 30th year that Caccamise has held the contest, including the past 22 years at Erie 2 BOCES. After three decades of holding the competition, seeing the accomplishments of the students he guides is what keeps Caccamise invested in the project each year.

“It keeps me young. I get really into it. It’s one of my favorite times of the year,” Caccamise said.

The winning gingerbread home among the juniors was made by Luvlee Zastrow, left, and Isabella Sorrento, right, of Westfield.

The annual contest was held just before classes dismissed for winter break, with students working throughout the month of December to showcase their talents with their own unique projects. Holiday cookies were also baked by the students to provide for the faculty and staff as they judged the contest, with winners announced later that day.

Various themes this year include the Netflix show Stranger Things, Pokemon, and even a nativity scene.

There were 18 custom gingerbread houses in total, with juniors working in pairs, and seniors given the option of working by themselves or in pairs. In all, there were seven houses made by pairs of juniors, seven houses made by pairs of seniors, and four seniors working by themselves.

“Over the years, I’m very impressed by how things have changed. It seems like with the creativity level, it’s just getting harder and harder every year to vote,” Caccamise said.

The winning gingerbread home for the seniors went to Marcus Gamble and Danielle Miller, who modeled their home after the home depicted in the movie Home Alone. Anna Gilman worked by herself and earned second place among all 11 senior houses. Duhayla Ramos and Eva Colon DeJesus finished third among the seniors. The winning gingerbread home among the juniors was made by Luvlee Zastrow and Isabella Sorrento of Westfield.

The winning gingerbread home among the juniors was made by Luvlee Zastrow, left, and Isabella Sorrento, right, of Westfield.

The annual class project, which in its entirety lasts roughly two weeks, 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 only requirements for the contest are that the house is made from scratch, it fits on a 15-inch board, and it must be edible, with the exception of lights or other items added for decoration.

The dough is comprised of seven to eight 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.

The contest is judged based on five criteria: Use of Materials, Creativity, Overall Appearance, Holiday Spirit, and Teamwork/Individuality.

“The most impressive thing is when the kids get a chance to use their imagination and creativity. You never know what you’re going to get,” Caccamise said. “I don’t make them use a standard gingerbread house. I let them use their creativity.”

Prior to construction, the students decide the fate of the gingerbread homes. With all juniors and most seniors working in groups, there is often plenty of discussion on what will come of their hard work when the project is complete. Some students agree to work together the following year and trade off who takes the finished product home. Others flip a coin to decide who gets to keep the project. In some cases, projects are donated to the nearby senior living facility, Fredonia Place.

Pictured is the winning gingerbread house among the seniors participating in the annual BOCES Culinary Arts class competition on Thursday, designed to model the Home Alone house.

The project began on Dec. 1, and in some cases, the finishing touches were made the day of the competition after more than two weeks of work. The winning house, designed by Marcus Gamble and Danielle Miller, was finished the morning of the judging.

“I’m very proud of them and impressed with how they did this year,” Caccamise said of the efforts of his entire class.

Shown are several of the gingerbread houses designed by BOCES Culinary Arts students, under the guidance of instructor Dave Caccamise.