VanFoodies.com

While we had to wait 10 minutes for our food ordered at Bada Bing Food Truck, we decided to check out the Gingerbread Lane inside the Hyatt Regency Vancouver hotel.

Gingerbread Lane at Hyatt Regency Vancouver

In its 21st year, the hotel lobby is adorned by approximately 40 gingerbread houses built by amateur and professional bakers, as well as college and high school students enrolled in culinary arts programs.

The iconic gingerbread house uses over 2kg of brown sugar, 5kg of icing sugar, 4kg of margarine, 4kg of molasses, 1kg of corn syrup, 16kg of pastry flour and some other secret ingredients to build. An additional 1400 egg whites, 300lb of icing sugar and 500lb of gingerbread dough were used for extra touches.

Iconic, Giant Gingerbread House

Not only this is a fundraising initiative for Make a Wish Foundation, it’s also a gingerbread competition. As you walk around, you notice gingerbread houses are awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in various categories such as secondary school, amateur and professional.

Make A Wish

I’ll let the pictures do the talking here. I’ve picked out a few that I liked:

Intricate Display by Vancouver Community College

VCC’s gingerbread house is also the 1st place winner in the Professional category.

Nice details by bakers

I appreciate the work put into the interior of the gingerbread house.

The Grinch Display

Wouldn’t consider this a house, but certainly an innovative display.

Be sure to check out the rest of the photo gallery below for more pictures. This is only a glimpse of the Gingerbread Lane. If you’re in the area, drop by the hotel, have a walk through all the displays, and vote for your favourite to win the People’s Choice Award!

The gingerbread houses will be on display until December 27, 2011.

Gingerbread Lane at Hyatt Regency Vancouver
655 Burrard Street, Vancouver