SALT LAKE CITY — Inside the Grand America Hotel, pastry chef Xavier Baudinet has been hard at work on his latest holiday masterpiece.
"Every year it's a new design," Baudinet said. For this pastry chef, you could say a dozen is his lucky number. "It is my 12th gingerbread house," he said.
Every holiday season, the life-size candy house is put on display to dazzle hotel guests. The elaborate creation undergoes a lengthy pre-build process that begins months in advance. "This piece of art is about precision," Baudinet said. "I do the design in June, May/June."
Starting with a blueprint sketched by the chef himself, construction takes weeks to complete. "It takes three weeks to build," he said.
The crew logs a total of 700 hours during the construction process.
The confection castle takes on a new theme each season. This year's design plays off whimsical childhood memories. "The house is like a treehouse, as you can see, that's why we did some elevation," Baudinet said.
Everything visitors see is handmade using creative techniques and materials. "We did some rice crispy to look like branch of tree," he said. "We use marshmallow also on the floor."
The elaborate display creates a holiday feast for the eyes, fulfilling an appetite for Christmas nostalgia. "It's to make sure you feel great about it — feel the spirit, emotions," Baudinet said. "We want to give emotions, that's the most important thing, to everybody."
The tradition at the Grand America, along with chef Baudinet, will continue well beyond a baker's dozen.
"After 12 years this is going to keep going and going," he said. "Yes, yes — I have multiple more."
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