Gingerbread Build-Off

Amazing gingerbread houses pay tribute to Hogwarts, London Bridge — and demolished Foley's building

At the fifth annual AIA Gingerbread Build-Off, 30 teams from across the city competed to build the most stunning, over-the-top gingerbread-based creations. The teams had five hours to assemble the creations, and all of the building, frosting and decorating had to be done on-site. Despite temperatures in the 40s and a fierce wind at downtown's Hermann Square Park on Saturday that toppled a couple of entries, most of the teams displayed high-quality, highly creative work.

Teams ran the gamut in terms of experience, with professional architectural firms competing against student groups and even a group of neuroscientists.

A three-judge panel that included an architect, an engineer and a food writer (aka, me) evaluated each of the entries for a variety of awards including Grand Prix de Show, Best Architectural Icon and Most Creative Use of Materials. Teams ran the gamut in terms of experience, with professional architectural firms competing against student groups and even a group of neuroscientists. Entries needed to be at least 80 percent edible and assembled entirely on site.

Unofficially, Houston architecture icons seemed to be the theme of the day with three different versions of the Williams Tower and its corresponding Waterwall, the Astrodome and the recently-demolished Foley's on Main Street all making an appearance. Teams also turned to pop culture for inspiration with Harry Potter's Hogwarts, The Wizard of Oz, Breaking Bad and Despicable Me all getting gingerbread treatment.

As a first time visitor, I was struck by a couple of things. First, Rice Krispie treats are a surprisingly important structural element in building large-scale gingerbread houses. Second, it seems that almost every team had a different candy component for water (jello, gummy bear, almond bark, etc.)

In the end, architecture firm Kirksey took the top prize for their London Tower Bridge with a working cantilever drawbridge and boat below. A student-group from the Art Institute of Houston upset several pro teams for second with the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, "Gingerbread Fallingwater." Gensler placed third with a replication of Hogwarts Castle. The crowd selected the Despicable Me house as its favorite.

All entries are currently on display at the Architecture Center of Houston through Friday.

A team from PDR won Best Architectural Icon with a whimsical take on the downtown Foley's demolition.

12 Annual AIA Gingerbread build-off December 2013 Best Architecture Icon _PDR with Jingle Bell Demo - Foley's

Photo courtesy of AIA Houston

A team from PDR won Best Architectural Icon with a whimsical take on the downtown Foley's demolition.

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what's Eric Eating Episodes 452 and 453

Meet the man pairing chocolates and cocktails at a Houston speakeasy

Courtesy of CASE Chocolates

Casey McNeil is this week's guest.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chocolatier Casey McNeil joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss CASE Chocolates, his East End business that sells liquor-filled chocolates.

The conversation begins with McNeil explaining how success as a tech entrepreneur paved the way for him to explore his passion for making chocolate. He traveled to Switzerland to learn the basics of making chocolate as well as the specialized technique of Starch Casting, which is a candy-making practice that allows Case’s chocolates to be liquid-filled.

Rather than simply sell chocolates to-go, Case hosts nightly tastings that pair its chocolates with cocktails and sips of premium liquors. Sandler asks McNeil why he decided to go this route instead of opening a more conventional chocolate shop. As he explains, it’s an outgrowth of his appreciation for whiskey and other fine spirits.

“I love collecting whiskey. I really wanted to have a whiskey aesthetic,” McNeil says. “You think of cigar boxes for the packaging. Maybe a speakeasy element. As we talked more about it, I couldn’t see it any other way. That’s the direction we’ve gone.”

Listen to the full episode to hear what McNeil has learned since Case opened in July. He also discusses where he’d like to open a second location.

On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Monica Danna discuss the news of the week. Their first topic is the opening of Little Dreamer Coffee in Montrose. They also share some thoughts on the opening of the Montrose Country Club, a new pool bar and restaurant, and banter about Le Petit Chef, a animated dining experience that recently arrived in Houston.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Danna and Sandler review their recent meal at Maximo, the sophisticated Mexican restaurant from Local Foods Group. They rave about a few favorite dishes and draw comparisons to Milton’s, the Italian restaurant the company opened last year. Listen to the full episode to hear which dishes they’d order again.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

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