Recipe for a fundraiser: skill and whimsy

When architects and chefs team up to build gingerbread houses, they bring their power tools.

A jigsaw whizzed through flat sheets of gingerbread Sunday afternoon at the Davenport Hotel, where six teams worked to create elaborate castles and tract homes, a Hobbit house and a Nutcracker scene at the Second Annual Gingerbread Build-Off.

“Gingerbread cuts just like wood. It’s amazing,” said Sonja Duffy, owner of Off the Walls Cakes and Catering in Spokane.

Ninety pounds of gingerbread went into a realistic-looking suburban home – complete with a three-car garage and a Nilla Wafer shingled roof – that Duffy built with designer Chris Brozik of Sullivan Homes.

Architect John Eckert, meanwhile, used a cordless drill on a whimsical, four-story tree house inspired by Dr. Seuss’ book “The Lorax.” A plywood interior supported the yellow, blue, purple and hot-pink structure.

“It really does look like something Dr. Seuss would have in his book,” said an impressed Deborah Russell, of Spokane, who attended the event with her granddaughter. “You can imagine one of the Whos from Whoville sticking his head out the window.”

Sunday’s competition raised money for Christ Kitchen, a job training program for women living in poverty. The nonprofit hires women to make soup mixes and other food products. Event organizer Patty Seebeck hopes generous spectators will help raise $25,000 to $30,000 for Christ Kitchen, which recently moved into a former Taco Time on North Monroe.

The gingerbread structures will remain on display at the Davenport Hotel’s mezzanine level through Dec. 26. Viewers can purchase raffle tickets to vote for their favorite gingerbread structure. They also get a chance to win their favorite house, along with an overnight stay at the Davenport.

Rules for the competition were relatively simple. Each gingerbread structure had to be at least 2 ½ feet tall. Non-edibles could be used for internal support, but everything in sight had to be a food product.

One of the gingerbread structures portrayed Christ Kitchen’s new digs. Through windows made of gelatin sheets, marzipan figures were visible inside, grouped around tables. Chef Marcel Kopplin created the brickwork from fondant, a moldable candy confection. Red-brown frosting simulated stucco walls.

“I’m just going to stand here and ooh and ahh and admire,” said Laura Vaughan, who came to watch the competition with her husband and two children. The family members had a hard time choosing a favorite gingerbread house.

“I like the Hobbit house. It sort of looks like a mountain,” said Vaughan’s 10-year-daughter, Laina. Architect Jon Sayler teamed with Europa chef Christie Sutton to create the futuristic-looking structure, which was covered with Cocoa Pebbles. A scene from the Nutcracker was the inspiration for architect Ann Martin’s gingerbread creation. The work featured Mother Ginger releasing bon-bon dancers from her skirt, which was crafted from pink fondant.

Adam Hegsted, the executive chef at Brix in Coeur d’Alene, estimated that more than 40 hours of work went into creating a turreted castle made of 50 sheets of gingerbread. Hegsted and three helpers put Candyland-themed motifs on the creation Sunday afternoon. A heat lamp allowed Hegsted’s co-worker to twist taffy-like dough into intricate pieces from the board game.

“This is out of control,” said spectator Allison Barr. “We make gingerbread houses, but not to this level. Our roof usually collapses.”