John and I created gingerbread structures for Gingerbread City 2008 and 2009, but our schedules did not allow for such enormous dedication this season. Instead, we volunteered our assistance and photography on the morning of the event, when the gingerbread artists delivered their structures, and at the Holiday Gala. We had the opportunity to visit with some of the winners and tried to capture the exquisite detail of these amazing gingerbread creations.
The Tale of Despereaux Mouse World, from the film, The Tale of Despereaux (2008) was the Grand Prize Winner this year, lovingly created by Melody Morse.
Movie critic, Roger Ebert, describes The Tale of Despereaux as “one of the most beautifully drawn animated films I’ve seen, rendered in enchanting detail and painterly colors…with a story centering on a big-eared little mouse named Despereaux, a sniffy rat named Roscuro and various other members of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, it is a joy to look at frame by frame…”
Well, Roger, take a look at one of the most beautifully crafted gingerbread masterpieces we’ve ever seen, rendered in enchanting and edible detail. You could spend the time it takes to watch the movie admiring the artistic beauty and painstaking detail in the the characters, furniture, paintings on the wall, books, antiques, floor tiles, architecture, textures, and techniques.
Melody is passionate about her work. Her motto has always been, you are only limited by your imagination. She is one very talented, imaginative, and amazing woman! Two of her earlier works, gingerbread replicas of San Diego’s Villa Montezuma, a 1887 Victorian, and The Martson House, architect Irving Gill’s craftsman-style house completed in 1905, are preserved and exhibited at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park.
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| The Tale of Despereaux Mouse World |
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Melody was kind enough to share a little about her life, background, inspiration, and tricks of the trade. Her passions include collecting mice, sewing items and antiques. She has a curio cabinet at home with many of the items found in this gingerbread structure. The mice, scissors, antique hinges, spools, etc., are all duplicated in gumpaste and hold very special memories.
The blue rug is made with softened, dyed, rice noodles, which are then braided. The primary ingredients used in the structure are gingerbread and gumpaste, but Melody loves searching for new materials and tools. She browses Asian markets, yard sales, flea markets and hardware stores, and finds herself touching everything and envisioning how it will add texture and interest to her creations. Some of the interesting materials in this piece include tea leaves, kelp, flower seeds, gourd strips, rice noodles, candy crystals, lemon grass, rice paper, lentils, edible food coloring and luster dust, and royal icing.
The structure contains a combination of human and mouse-sized items, just as in “real mouse” life! It includes books from the movie – another special family memory. Melody’s children love antique books, so it was easy to raid their rooms for ideas for special covers. Some of the books have pages or covers that are made with soy wrappers or seaweed.
The cabinets in the structure depict life size cabinets we might have in our home, inhabited by mice of course. Most of the drawers are removable and hold gumpaste goodies inside. There are also various tiny bowls filled with beans, noodles, sunflower seeds, rice and couscous.
Some of the other gingerbread structures included The Amazing Spider-Man, Porsche at Le Mans, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Night at the Majestic, The Neverending Story, A Hot Night at the Drive-In, Up in the Air, and A Christmas Story: The House on Cleveland Street.
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| Chef Guillas sprinkling Fennel Pollen Dust over the Bisque |
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| Tapioca Pearls infused with Hibiscus, at the bottom of the bisque |
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| Holiday Dessert Trio Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake Banana Peanut Brittle Ice Cream Honey Tangerine Tart with Caram  CORONADO'S LOCAL NEWS SOURCEThe Coronado Times newspaper provides in-depth coverage of Coronado, CA. Our online publication has been Coronado's trusted news source for over 20 years. Our staff is local and committed to quality coverage of our Coronado community. Learn more about our publication. Send Us News Tips & Story Ideas: GET WITH THE TIMES© Copyright 2002-2024, The Coronado Times. All rights reserved. Crafted in Coronado, CA. Content may not be re-published online or offline without permission.
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