GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

[kcdcchef]

Damn dude, that sounds more like a full time hobby than a seasonal project.

it is. i start on it around  late march. in truth, i never put it down, seriously. i start working on looking at photography and drafting a sketch around february. i spend the month of january putting the infastructure away for the LONG offseason. when your season is generally 50 days, the offseason is damned long. anyways, january is for putting the crates and boxes that hold the village back into deep storage ( the in laws tree farm, basically ) february i pour over photography ( i posted 20 shots, i have 400 ) deciding what stays, what goes. then design the annual features, GumDrop Row, Toffee Boulevard, EggNog Bay, CandyCane Place, PepperMint Central Park, as well as lighthouse, clock tower, windmill, grist mill, trolleys, train, train depots, and storefronts.

develop a sketch, take a few weeks to forget about it, then right before opening day for baseball, generally last week or so of march, i get going again. definitely a full blown hobby.

[kcmetro]

i always tell the press 600 hours, which is a conservative estimate at best. i spend about 20 hours a week on it for roughly 32 weeks.

Wow.  So basically a 2nd full time job for 4 months of the year.

[PumpkinStalker]

I don't see the KCP&L building.

Ahem?

[mean]

That is an insane amount of effort.

[kcdcchef]

That is an insane amount of effort.

if you ever sat in front of GingerBread Lane for about an hour and saw the amount of people glee in amazement, stare in awe, and just generally fall in love with it, you may possibly understand it.

today i had the pleasure of sitting in center court. i spent 45 minutes, i kid you not i counted 171 camera flashes. saw this one old couple staring at it, in a loving embrace, for like 15 minutes. makes you realize why you do it at that point.

[mean]

Sure, I'm not saying it isn't worth it. I just didn't realize it was such an intense process.

[im2kull]

Man, I have waited a long time to see this years edition of GBL.  This is great Chef, 5 stars for sure.  I'm always amazed by how much greater it gets every year.  This time its not very much larger than last years, at least it doesn't appear to be more than 10% larger at most, but it is incredibly more detailed.  Mad props go to you on this one.  Sometime, if you ever have the time, you should seriously consider adding a bridge element...I think either a nice little covered bridge, or vast cable stayed span would be doable...I'm thinking you could use tons of icing around some kind of foot long hollow poles for the main supports, and hershey bars for the deck...the huge ones, and gingerbread for the cables.  That would truely be a feat to see, although, bridge or no bridge...I am already looking forward to next years lane.

[nota]

Really nice for sure. As always

[kcdcchef]

Really nice for sure. As always

thanks nota. i held up my end of the bargain for annual holiday traditions on the kc forum, gbl. you moved to indiana, thus, messing up your end ( going off about all the holiday radio stations )

[GRID]

That is freaking awesome.

I don't know how you have lost all that weight with that job!

I can't make a batch of cookies without eating half the dough raw.

[nota]

thanks nota. i held up my end of the bargain for annual holiday traditions on the kc forum, gbl. you moved to indiana, thus, messing up your end ( going off about all the holiday radio stations )

It's absurd I know, but there isn't any holiday music here on any station. I kind of miss it now.

Are there any synagogues in your village?

Happy Hannukkah!

[kcdcchef]

It's absurd I know, but there isn't any holiday music here on any station. I kind of miss it now.

Are there any synagogues in your village?

Happy Hannukkah!

nah, i keep it non - religous. i actually used to do a giant church with red and green stained glass windows ( melted jolly ranchers ) but it got to be a pain in the ass with people complaining about it.

[AllThingsKC]

Nice work, Chef!  Simply breath-taking!  I like this year's better than last years.  It looks fuller than in the first set of photos.

Awesome work!

[kcdcchef]

which one of my fellow computer nerds is volunteering to help me with this years give away poster for new years day??????????

[mean]

I'd be happy to help, what do you need?

[shaffe]

Who gets to eat it when it's done being displayed?

[kcdcchef]

Who gets to eat it when it's done being displayed?

give away on new years day, 2p-6p. line forms at 12noon, and at 2p, i give away every piece of the lane not nailed down. all houses, trains, cable cars, candy, candy canes, trees, snowmen, all of it.

[mean]

Hopefully nobody eats that stuff, though, right? I mean, it's got to be pretty stale by then.

[kcdcchef]

Hopefully nobody eats that stuff, though, right? I mean, it's got to be pretty stale by then.

nah, they just take them home to keep for souveneirs. the smaller ones with more candy hold up well. larger ones with more exposed gingerbread tend to fall apart. i have had someone in the past email me their house, 7 years old. they pack it in a popcorn tin with styro peanuts every year, and get it out every november.

[KCLofts]

Looks like the chef has been busy.....

New York Chef Breaks World's Largest Gingerbread Village Record for Third Straight Year