Stan's Shots: 11-12-21 Princess Kaiulani Hotel Gingerbread Village

Richard, Jamie & I went to the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Waikiki to see and photograph Executive Chef Ralf Bauer and his team of culinary architect's gingerbread village.

The following is straight from the Princess Kaiulani's Event Schedule and information page.

Gingerbread Village

| CHEF RALF BAUER

SHERATON PRINCESS KAIULANI PRESENTS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION OF EDIBLE ARTISTRY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani will feature the annual Santa’s German Gingerbread Village starting on November 23 to January 2 in the resort’s lobby. Guests and kamaaina are invited to visit the edible winter wonderland made of gingerbread and other sweet treats created by Executive Chef Ralf Bauer and his team of culinary architects.

Chef Bauer, Pantry Chef Amie Tungpalan, Executive Sous Chef John Hightower and the Engineering Department will spend over 750 hours designing, constructing and setting up the final art piece. The gingerbread village, which will stand over 14.5 feet high and over 24 feet wide, will be constructed with 225 gallons of icing, 140 pounds of dark chocolate, 50 pounds of white chocolate, and 70 sheets of gingerbread. Imitating the holiday spirit of quaint mountainside villages of his native country Germany, Bauer’s creation will include medieval churches, bell towers, train stations, a carousel and a skating rink.
Chef Bauer adds a touch of old Hawaii by recreating history with iconic structures including the Kawaihao mission church, the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa and last year’s addition, the Iolani Palace which alone took over six weeks to build. This year he has announced the inclusion of Aloha Tower as the latest addition to the historical gingerbread landmark creations.

“Visitors from all over the world come to Hawaii to see our gingerbread wonderland and experience the traditional Christmas atmosphere with the island’s touch of Aloha,” said Chef Bauer. “It is an opportunity to give back to the community and share the holiday spirit with our ohana.”

“Every year, we look forward to seeing the children’s joy as they discover every detail of the village and have the chance to make their own gingerbread houses,” said Chef Bauer. “I look forward to seeing the blind and deaf school kids, who are filled with so much joy as they make gingerbread houses and eat a lot of chocolate together.”

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani won “Orbitz Best Decked Out Holiday Hotel” in 2009 for providing a feeling of holiday cheer to visitors traveling during the holiday season with Santa’s Gingerbread Village.