Gingerbread Cheer

Twelve years ago on a chilly December day, a unique train appeared in Richmond. Smelling of sugar, molasses and spices, the vehicle intrigued observers with its exceptional size and artistry. Designed by executive pastry chef Sara Ayyash, Santa’s Steam Engine dazzled visitors at The Jefferson Hotel and helped transform a long-held holiday tradition at the historic venue.

The Jefferson’s lobby has featured a handcrafted gingerbread exhibit for many years, although its origins are somewhat foggy. However, since arriving at the hotel in 2010, Ayyash has reimagined it from traditionally designed, although unusually large, gingerbread houses to extravagant art pieces.  

“The gingerbread display is a gift that the hotel gives to its guests and the community. In combination with the lavish holiday decor, it’s an experience not frequently found in many places,” Ayyash says. 

After more than a decade, it’s easy to take these elaborate exhibits for granted, overlooking the meticulous, monthslong work behind them. In fact, while many are still lounging by the pool under a blazing summer sun, Ayyash is already plotting her upcoming masterpiece. “The process starts in August, when I submit two or three ideas,” she says. “Once the theme is approved, I’ll sketch the display and begin the yearly process of engineering the structure, determining the size, cost of materials and labor, etc.”  

Determining the year’s theme is Ayyash’s favorite part. It’s usually influenced by a family memory or fun experience. “Last year, my daughter made me a snow globe, which inspired that display,” she says of 2023’s Santa’s Sweet Shop. “An activity with my family this year will again bring the gingerbread display to life.” 

The true magic begins in October. Cinnamon and sticky molasses aromas swirl through the hotel kitchen as the pastry team begins producing at least 250 pounds of gingerbread dough, which will be baked in early November. This isn’t your ordinary gingerbread recipe, though; the dough is designed specifically for fragrance and to hold its structure over the holiday period. “The dough is made for strength and durability,” Ayyash says. “It wouldn’t be a tasty cookie to enjoy eating, but the delicious smell will permeate the lobby.”  

One of the biggest challenges is ensuring the baked gingerbread doesn't succumb to warm temperatures and humidity, which would cause it to soften and crumble. Ayyash’s preventive strategies include swapping butter for shortening, which can be baked longer without burning, and eliminating eggs, which reduces the air in the baked gingerbread and makes it more brick-like.

In early November, an engineering team moves a supportive frame to the hotel grounds. Ayyash and her team cover it with royal icing and hand-cut gingerbread pieces. They have just four weeks to complete everything. “Rolling and baking occurs the first week of November,” Ayyash says. “The second week, we start the assembly, which continues into the third week. The final week before the reveal is crunch time, and all the intricate piping and candies are added to complete the display. We unwrap mounds of candy and then complete the meticulous process of hand-placing each piece to create intricate designs, which make the display memorable for our guests.” 

The five members of the pastry team are the main constructors, but they often call on extra help, especially with repetitive tasks. Last year, 11 people were needed to complete the display of Santa’s Sweet Shop; they unwrapped 100 pounds of candy and glued thousands of Red Hots candies to the scene.  

The pastry arts have long captivated Ayyash, who was born and raised in Orlando but spent her high school years in Saltville, Virginia, where she got her first taste of the industry at age 15 working for Jane Smith at the now-closed Town House restaurant in Chilhowie. She studied international baking and pastry at the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, graduating in 2008. Over the next two years, she worked at two award-winning Tennessee establishments, the former Troutdale Dining Room in Bristol and Blackberry Farm in Walland, learning new techniques and skills — a journey that led her to The Jefferson Hotel.  

Ayyash’s first holiday display for The Jefferson was the Sugar Shack in 2010, a classic gingerbread house adorned with red bricks and a shingled roof. “It was 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide, which is much smaller than the displays I aim to complete now,” she says. “It went well, considering it was my first gingerbread display of that size.” 

While she’s found her gingerbread groove, Ayyash says it took her many years to fully understand the art of gingerbread. “I was accustomed to the simple tabletop gingerbread house many people make at home with their families,” she says. “I learned a lot going through the trials and errors with [my first display], which led me through the following years creating larger and more complex displays.” 

Stiff icing and crisp gingerbread are crucial to the exhibits, but patience is key. Each part needs to be carefully placed and left to fully dry. “Gravity is not our friend when assembling a display weighing around 1,000 pounds, so we also need to be sure that we give the royal icing time to dry before we move on to the next step,” she says.

Of the dozen-plus displays Ayyash has created so far, the igloo from 2019 is her personal favorite. “It was enormous! There were three igloos: a larger one in the center, which was 14 feet tall, and two smaller ones on each side that were 6 feet tall,” she says. “The display included a penguin and the backside of a polar bear, and held a life-size Santa sitting on a bench at the front of the igloo.” Other designs have included sleighs, a workshop scene, a fanciful village and even a vintage-style biplane. 

Ayyash’s 2024 creation will be revealed on Dec. 2 and remain on display in The Jefferson’s lobby until Jan. 5. “Thousands of pictures are taken of the gingerbread display throughout the holidays,” Ayyash says. “It brings me a lot of joy knowing our team built an enormous piece of art that becomes a memory for everyone who visits the hotel.” —Rachel Kester

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A Bite of History 

The zingy story of gingerbread

Thanks to its spicy flavor and distinctive scent, gingerbread is an intrinsic part of many holiday celebrations — but it wasn’t always. The history hidden within the confection’s crumb shows how it evolved over centuries to become a beloved seasonal treat.  

Ginger was first cultivated in Southeast Asia, then carried to China and India, where it was preserved and eaten for medicinal purposes; it is still considered a remedy for nausea, notes Tori Avey, writer of The History Kitchen column for PBS Food. Ginger was taken west along the Silk Road to Greece, where the first known recipe, a concoction of honey and spices, dates to 2400 B.C. A Chinese recipe dates to the 10th century A.D., which is also when, according to French lore, the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis introduced a type of gingerbread to France. There were many variations on the recipe even then.  

By the Middle Ages, according to Avey and others, gingerbread was surprisingly widespread, given the expense of the spices and sweeteners. Nuns in Sweden made gingerbread wafers to aid digestion, and Germany so valued gingerbread that guilds controlled production. Sources differ on whether England’s Queen Elizabeth I invented shaped cookies or the addition of elaborate decorations when she ordered gingerbread fashioned into caricatures of banquet guests. Regardless, according to historian Sam Bilton, writing for English Heritage, as trade made the ingredients more affordable, elaborate gingerbread cookies became beloved treats across Europe.  

Gingerbread houses were developed in Germany during the 16th century, but they didn’t come into their own until the Brothers Grimm published “Hansel and Gretel” in 1812. There were earlier versions of the tale but none more popular, and the spooky story set off a fresh wave of interest in building sugary structures.  

Later in the same century, Bilton notes, Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert, gave gingerbread to their children at Christmas — perhaps inspiring an association that lasts to this day.

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Tastes of the Season

Gingerbread recipes from Richmond bakers, bartenders and chefs

THE UNCATCHABLE GINGERBREAD MAN

By Judea Comess, Birdie’s Bar & Cafe

“I think this … is the ideal vehicle for consuming gingerbread,” says Parker Girard, senior beverage manager at Common House Richmond and Birdie’s. He notes that the drink’s “secret sauce” is the gingerbread syrup, which is also good in lattes. The bar’s annual holiday cocktail concept, The Evergreen at Birdie’s, is open through the end of the year. 

1 ounce vodka 

1/2 ounce Kahlua 

1/2 ounce ginger liqueur 

3/4 ounce gingerbread syrup (recipe below)

3/4 ounce espresso 

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. Serves: 1 

Gingerbread syrup

8 ounces dark brown sugar 

2 cups molasses 

4 cups water 

1 nutmeg, grated 

4 ounces ginger, coarsely grated 

1/4 ounce allspice berries (15-20 berries) 

1 anise pod 

2 cinnamon sticks 

In a large saucepan, combine dark brown sugar, molasses and water. Heat until sugar has dissolved, then add grated ginger and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Strain the solids, and store refrigerated for up to two weeks.

PAIN D’ÉPICES

By Joe Sparatta, Heritage 

The chef and co-owner of Heritage in the Fan, Joe Sparatta suggests toasting this French-spiced bread and serving it as an appetizer; he plans to pair it with burrata, apple and ginger mostarda (Italian candied fruit), and gingerbread caramel. Sparatta says it’s also a delicious complement to foie gras, cheese and charcuterie.

2 cups (250 grams) rye flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup (200 grams) honey 

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar 

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk 

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger 

Zest of 1 orange 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper, then set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, combine honey, brown sugar, milk and ginger. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Then, pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, add the orange zest, and stir a few more times. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Slice and serve plain or toasted, or with butter or jam. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Note: This bread tastes even better after resting for a day, as the flavors develop. Serves: 10

GINGERBREAD CAKE

By Sara Ayyash, Sugar & Salt

The owner of Jackson Ward bakery Sugar & Salt, Sara Ayyash is also the chief architect of The Jefferson Hotel’s famed annual gingerbread showpiece. She says this cake is “a much fluffier version” of the recipe she uses for the hotel display, adding, “Our holiday is not complete without the smell of gingerbread cooking.” 

Cake 

1 cup water 

1 cup honey 

1 cup molasses 

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter  

2 cups (15 ounces) loosely packed light brown sugar  

5 1/2 cups (1 1/2 pounds) all-purpose flour 

3 teaspoons baking soda  

1 teaspoons table salt 

2 teaspoons dry ground ginger 

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 

6 whole eggs 

1 cup whole milk 

3/4 cup (4 ounces) minced fresh ginger 

Cream cheese frosting 

1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature 

2 pounds cream cheese, chilled and cubed 

2 pounds powdered sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside. Combine water, honey and molasses in a 3-quart sauce pot over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, then stir in the butter and brown sugar. Whisk until combined and remove from heat. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and milk, then fold in the minced ginger. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the cakes onto racks and let cool. 

For cream cheese frosting: Using a 3-quart or larger mixer with a paddle attachment, whip the butter until light. Add cream cheese one piece at a time until combined. Adjust the mixer to its lowest setting and add the powdered sugar incrementally but quickly. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Resume mixing, stepping the speed up to medium high; beat until smooth and creamy. When the cakes are cooled completely, carefully cut each cake in half horizontally to create four layers. Fill and frost with the cream cheese frosting. Serves: 12

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Seasonal Suds

Hardywood adds two festive flavors to its Gingerbread Stout line

If you know anything about Richmond’s beer scene, then you know about Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Their Gingerbread Stout was first crafted in 2011 after a local farmer presented a sample of his ginger crop to the brewers. Since then, the rich, creamy stout has received international acclaim; its accolades include a rare perfect score from Beer Advocate and a bronze medal from the World Beer Cup. 

In the wake of Gingerbread Stout’s success, Hardywood expanded its brewing capacity to accommodate what became its busiest season — Christmas — and has introduced a dozen more festive flavors over the years. “We do a complete set of gingerbread-style beers,” says Brian Nelson, Hardywood’s brewmaster, “and we’re doing 14 this year.” 

New to the 2024 lineup are Chocolate Peppermint Stout, which combines milk chocolate flavors with a peppermint finish, and Gingerbread Red, a red ale made with the same spices as the original stout but with an ABV of 5%. Original Gingerbread Stout has an ABV of 9.2%, so Gingerbread Red may be a good alternative for fans looking for a more sessionable sip. Gingerbread Red will be on tap at both Hardywood locations for a limited time. Chocolate Peppermint Stout will be available only in the 2024 Gingerbread Stout Complete Set and the GBS Holiday Gift Pack, both available now.

The full set also includes Bourbon White Chocolate Decadence, a 2024 exclusive. This “dessert in a bottle” is a golden ale infused with Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans, toasted coconut and a hint of cinnamon. Four additional flavors — GBS Bourbon Barleywine, Coconut GBS, Bourbon Caliente and Gingerbread Cru — also return in the case, and a few festive varieties may be on tap while supplies last. —Jenna Lapp