Ont. woman takes home 2nd place at international gingerbread house competition

Beatriz Muller created her Victorian-era gingerbread house in Coldwater, Ont. Dec. 13, 2022 (Source: Facebook)

Broken edible hinges did not cost her a winning ribbon.

Perhaps a little broken-hearted that the gelatin glass had shattered on the 16-hour drive to Asheville, North Carolina, Beatriz Muller had no choice but to enter her gingerbread creation into the competition anyway.

It was, after all, the 30th anniversary of the U.S. National Gingerbread House Competition, where Muller had previously received a trifecta of first, second and third-place prizes.

"When you're transporting something like this, there's always a chance something can happen," Muller said from her home in Coldwater, Ont., half-an-hour north of Barrie a few weeks after the November event.

Victorious in second place in the adult group category, Muller narrowly missed the first prize, which went to North Carolina's Ann Bailey's "When Dreams Have Wings" Peter Pan-themed piece.

Muller's "The Time of Christmas Past" is more of a Baroque or rococo-styled gingerbread clock house, echoing the softer colours of blues and pinks used in the Victorian age.

These aren't the grocery-story kit gingerbread houses you make with your children.

Muller spent more than 300 hours on her tiny mansion and added another 50 hours of design work and template creation before she even began baking.

"You try and clear your schedule the best you can, but you're still working 12 to 14 hour days when you're nearing the competition," she said.

Not only has she entered and judged gingerbread house competitions, but she also creates for corporations, as well as having six of her pieces used in Warner Bros. "A Gingerbread Christmas" movie now on Crave.