It’s a gingerbread world for Ryan Cady, 8, a second-grader at Greenbrook Elementary. The Danville boy recently tied for third place and won $50 in the amateur division of the fourth annual Gingerbread House Competition sponsored by the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco.
“Ryan has been very interested in gingerbread houses since his preschool teacher, Mrs. Sherrie Fredrickson of Diablo Hills Country School, encouraged him to make one several years ago,” said his mother, Connie Cady. “We came upon the gingerbread house competition at the Pan Pacific while window shopping in the Union Square area a couple of years ago and asked if we could participate.”
In October, they received an invitation and set about devising a theme. Ryan hit upon “The Three Little Pigs.” He found gummy candies for the straw house, pretzels for the stick house and Frooties for the brick house, said his mom. “Cute little marzipan pigs topped the creation,” she added.
Others in the competition were the more traditional gingerbread houses, she noted. There was also an entry based on the game Candyland.
The judges included chef Narsai David, TV critic Jan Wahl, pastry chef Otto Eckstein and representatives from Boudin Bakery and from Macy’s.
–Dolores Fox Ciardelli
