ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Omni Grove Park Inn held its extremely anticipated Annual Nationwide Gingerbread Home Competitors™, yesterday which included 200 entries from over 22 states and Guatemala. Contestants spanned throughout grownup, teen, youth and youngsters classes all competing for an opportunity to win a bit of greater than $40,000 in money and prizes.
This 12 months’s winners, the Tough Dessert Devotees had been a niece and aunt baking duo from North Carolina, and it was their third 12 months competing and first time successful the competitors. The furthest traveled competitor was Beatriz Mejia who traveled 4,234 miles from Guatemala to take part on this 12 months’s competitors.
The historic Asheville property introduced again six honorable Chef Nicholas Lodge Awards, launched final 12 months and renamed in loving reminiscence of former lead choose Chef Nicholas Lodge. Impressed from previous entries and the artistic parts that the opponents have launched over time, the awards included “Greatest Use of Coloration,” “Greatest Use of Sprinkles,” “Most Distinctive Ingredient,” “Pop Tradition Star,” “Most Modern Construction,” and “Longest Standing Competitor.” Moreover, again by common demand, registered opponents had the chance to vote on their favourite design to find out the winner of the “Folks’s Selection: Greatest in Present Award.”
Whereas every creation was required to be 75% gingerbread and 100% edible, this 12 months’s panel of judges additionally evaluated every entry primarily based on distinct standards, together with general look, originality, creativity, problem, precision, and consistency of theme. This 12 months, the competitors welcomed new choose, superstar cake artist, Yolanda Gampp; Gampp is thought for serving as a choose on FOX’s Crime Scene Kitchen, being a two-time best-selling cookbook creator, and the co-founder of “How one can Cake It”, the #1 on-line baking training firm on this planet. The esteemed panel of returning judges additionally included lead choose Mark Seaman, culinary functions chef for Barry Callebaut; Geoff Blount, pastry chef and trainer; John Cook dinner, govt pastry chef at The Omni Grove Park Inn; Steven Stellingwerf, pastry chef, creator, and trainer; Aaron Morgan, govt pastry chef on the Steady Café on The Biltmore Property, and Ashleigh Shanti, chef/proprietor of Good Sizzling Fish & 2020 James Beard finalist.
The 2023 successful entries within the classes of Grownup, Teen, Youth, Little one, and Folks’s Selection: Greatest in Present Award embody:
- Grand Prize Winner, Grownup: Tough Dessert Devotees, “Christmas on the Tongkonan” – Fuquay Varina, NC
- Grownup Second Place: Pat Ashley Howard, “Transferring Day” – Orlando, FL
- Grownup Third Place: Bonnie Hardiman, “Dwelling Supply” – Hagerstown, MD
- Teen (ages 13-17) First Place: Courtland Excessive College German Program, “Classic Voyage” – Spotsylvania, VA
- Teen Second Place: Toccoa Titans, “Grove’s Miracle Tonic” – Blue Ridge, GA
- Teen Third Place: Emma Rhinehart, “An Elegant Christmas” – Columbia, TN
- Youth (ages 9-12) First Place: Frost Women, “Enjoyable within the Tub” – Woodbury, MN
- Youth Second Place: Perry Reid, “Vacation Smackdown” – Vacationers Relaxation, SC
- Youth Third Place: The Fiddleheads, “Little Blue Truck’s Christmas” – Clyde, NC
- Little one (ages 5-8) First Place: Grace Webster, “The Night time of Magical Reminiscences” – Greenville, SC
- Little one Second Place: China Grove Cousins, “Prepared, Set, SNOOOOWWWW!!!!” – Mooresville, NC
- Little one Third Place: Paul Frahler, “Bathtub Santa Takes Off!” – Greenville, SC
- Folks’s Selection: Greatest in Present Award: Love at Frost Sight, “Rockin’ on the Diner” – Woodbury, MN
The 2023 winners throughout the six Chef Nicholas Lodge Awards embody:
- Greatest Use of Coloration: Love at Frost Sight, “Rockin’ on the Diner” – Woodbury, MN
- Greatest Use of Sprinkles: Chloe Jennings, “Visions of Sugar Plums” – Purlear, NC
- Most Distinctive Ingredient: with use of Catgut Dental Sutures and Stevia Leaves, Tough Dessert Devotees, “Christmas at Tongkonan” – Fuquay Varina, NC
- Most Modern Construction: Andrea Watson, “Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho” – Simpsonville, SC
- Pop Tradition Star: Shelby Pechtel, “Groot’s First Christmas” – Troutman, NC
- Longest Standing Competitor: Merry Spafford, “A Classical Christmas Carol” – Loudon, TN
The 2023 winner for the participant who traveled the furthest:
- Furthest Traveled Competitor: Beatriz Mejia, “Barrel Organ” – Guatemala
This well-known competitors started in 1992 with a small group of group members who had been captivated with constructing gingerbread homes and has since advanced into one of the crucial aggressive vacation occasions within the nation. The historic property is celebrating the thirty first Annual Nationwide Gingerbread Home Competitors by means of further programming this 12 months, together with:
- 2023 Gingerbread Show: From Monday, November 27, 2023 – Tuesday, January 2, 2024, the property will highlight all submissions on show all through its public areas. The Gingerbread Show is offered for resort friends to view 24/7 and to non-resort friends Monday – Thursday anytime and Sundays after 4 p.m., excluding holidays (December 23-25, 30-31 and January 1).
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The Nice Gingerbread Home: On show within the Nice Corridor, friends can go to the life-sized gingerbread home modeled after the historic resort, whereas having fun with house-made scorching chocolate, a specialty craft brew in partnership with Highland Brewing and candy treats by the glow of the
iconic fireplaces.
Company can expertise vacation cheer at each nook with over 80 illuminated timber displayed all through the resort. - Gingerbread Vacation Package deal: For stays booked November 22 – December 30, 2023, the property welcomes gingerbread lovers to bask in its unique Gingerbread Vacation Package deal which incorporates deluxe lodging, a complimentary vacation gingerbread cookie, day by day breakfast at farm-to-table artisanal buffet restaurant The Blue Ridge, and in a single day valet w/ storage parking.
- 12 Days of Gingerbread: To spark additional Ginger-innovation and supply a digital choice to take a look at the coveted competitors, the resort will proceed “The 12 Days of Gingerbread” on its official Fb (@omnigroveparkinn) and Instagram (@omnigrovepark) channels by that includes one of many Prime 12 finalists every day from December 1 – 12, 2023.
- Fall & Vacation Parking Program: From October 1, 2023 – January 2, 2024 the resort donates a portion of its parking proceeds to the group in help of native nonprofit organizations in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Because the program’s inception in 2013, the resort has contributed greater than $923,000 to those charitable companions; the donation complete shall be introduced in February 2024 and is anticipated to surpass $1 million.
For extra data on The Omni Grove Park Inn, name (800) 438-5800 or go to omnihotels.com/lodges/asheville-grove-park. For extra data on The thirty first Annual Nationwide Gingerbread Home Competitors™, name (800) 413-5778 or go to omnihotels.com/gingerbread.
About The Omni Grove Park Inn
Set within the idyllic Blue Ridge Mountains and simply minutes from downtown Asheville, N.C., The Omni Grove Park Inn gives a one-of-a-kind escape for modern-day vacationers. The award-winning, 513-room resort initially opened in 1913, showcases a variety of Arts & Crafts furnishings from Stickley and Roycroft all through visitor areas, visitor rooms and suites. Following the renovation of the Vanderbilt Wing in 2013, The Inn revealed the redesign of the historic Sammons Wing’s 204 guestrooms in 2017. The world-class Spa is an expertise like no different, with 43,000 sq. ft of subterranean area and an array of distinctive remedies incorporating indigenous parts. The resort’s historic 18-hole Donald Ross golf course is taken into account among the many high golf experiences in North Carolina, and the Sports activities Advanced consists of indoor and outside tennis courts. The Inn additionally focuses on native components and chef pushed menus of their 4 signature eating places, every providing panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Omni Grove Park Inn is nicely fitted to conferences, weddings and occasions, with 26 assembly rooms and two ballrooms totaling over 58,000 sq. ft, together with the Skyline Room and Mountain View Terrace. To get further data or ebook lodging, go to omnihotels.com or name 1-800-The-Omni.
About Omni Lodges & Resorts
Omni Lodges & Resorts creates real, genuine visitor experiences at over 50 distinct lodges and resorts in the preferred leisure and enterprise locations throughout the US, in addition to in Canada. With 28 iconic golf programs, together with a number of brief programs, 25 award-winning spas featured in dynamic locales nationwide, each Omni proudly opens its doorways to share the true spirit of its vacation spot. Mirrored by means of native shade, personalised service, distinctive wellness choices, signature eating places and artistic culinary choices, Omni leaves an enduring impression with each visitor and a heightened degree of recognition and rewards delivered by means of its Choose Visitor® loyalty program. Omni is dedicated to lowering starvation and is on a mission by means of its Say Goodnight to Starvation initiative, to offer tens of millions of meals every year for meals banks to feed kids, households, and seniors in communities by which it operates. Via its partnership with Shared Hope Worldwide, Omni is devoted to the training and coaching of its associates to assist fight human trafficking. Omni Lodges & Resorts is the official resort of the PGA TOUR® and PGA of America. For data or to ebook lodging, go to omnihotels.com or name 1-800-The-Omni
