Decorate your own gingerbread house with the help of a pro at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail
Pastry chef will teach young bakers how to decorate on Saturday
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail/Courtesy photo
Nothing says the holidays are here quite like a gingerbread house. But, finding a good recipe, making the dough and proper frosting, finding the candy decorations and constructing a house that will withstand all the attention get can be a chore.
That’s where Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail comes in. Let executive pastry chef Shawna MacDonald share her passion and knowledge during this workshop at the hotel, where she will handle all the details. The kids just need to bring their creativity.
“Decorating a gingerbread house during the holiday season is one of my favorite traditions. I still build houses with my family today and am so excited to share this experience with our guests,” MacDonald said. The workshop will be held from 2-4 p.m. at the hotel on Saturday.
“The gingerbread house decorating experience is a hands-on workshop where kids can create their very own gingerbread house with their own personal flair,” MacDonald said. “I will be walking each young baker through the process of creating their own house that they can bring home with them. The kids will receive a chef’s hat and apron so they can feel like a pastry pro.”
The gingerbread houses will be pre-assembled, ready for the sugar lumps, candy sprinkles, stars, wreaths, and other décor options.
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“We use a firm dough that can withstand the candy and icing placed on the gingerbread house. Construction gingerbread isn’t as soft and fluffy as the cookies you would make in your home,” MacDonald said. “We use a royal icing that will harden with time. Royal icing is made with egg whites and powdered sugar. We whip the icing in a mixer for a long period of time to really firm up the icing. It should be thick, fluffy, and maintain a pointed shape when you lift your spatula out of the mixture.”
Once the kiddos are finished, the house is ready to leave the Four Seasons Resort Vail and travel to its new home. The cost per house is $110 for one child and one adult and at least one parent must be present during the workshop. There will be candy and hot chocolate for the young ones and adult beverages will be available for purchase for the parents.
In addition to the gingerbread house decorating workshop at Four Seasons Resort Vail, kids of all ages can enjoy the return of WhoVail, inspired by the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and the fictitious town in the story, Whoville.
“The Whoville inspired designs are a guest favorite every year, and we love bringing it to life at the resort. We love creating the decor and sharing it with our guests to enjoy,” MacDonald said.
Instead of being a large façade of the Grinch’s house like the Four Seasons Resort Vail has done in the past, MacDonald and the pastry team at Four Seasons Resort Vail made individual buildings as part of the WhoVail village. The team started working on it on Nov. 1.
“WhoVail consists of roughly 50 pounds of fondant and 30 pounds of royal icing,” MacDonald said. “Roughly 250 hours has gone into the display between the pastry team and our backdrop artists.”
WhoVail will be on display until Dec. 26 and is located near the Tavernetta Vail restaurant by the elevators. Pro tip for parents: Tavernetta’s “Ring for Spritz” window is open daily from 3-9:30 p.m. if you need a refreshment while the children enjoy WhoVail.
