GINGERBREAD CASTLE rides the rails from The Neighborhood of Make-Believe North to Rochester!

In honor of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood left to right: Mr. Rogers hand painted portrait cookie, King Friday the XIII, Daniel Tiger, Neighborhood Trolley,

When the George Eastman Museum, whose collections of photography and cinema are among the best in the world, invited me to create something for their Sweet Creations holiday gingerbread display, I immediately thought of this years film, Won't You Be My Neighbor?

It was so moving and beautiful, capturing and contextualizing Fred Roger's amazing contributions and profound effect on children for generations.
Perfect, I had my gingerbread house theme and inspiration!
 

The Daniel Tiger and King Friday the 13th Puppets are made of gingerbread cut outs covered in white modeling chocolate and then painted with a mixture of powdered food color and lemon extract

On a Sunday in late October, the castle (baked and assembled), all of its sugar-paste and chocolate decorations, the unpainted puppets and I boarded an Amtrak train at Penn Station NYC at 10:20AM and arrived in Rochester NY at 4:59PM (safe and sound).

Above is a really sweet short video that the museum put together of the process setting up and the finishing touches for the piece.  

Look out for the all little details in the fabulous gingerbread creations featured throughout the 23rd annual Sweet Creations displays. (PS: I hid little chocolate versions of our dogs in one of the back windows of the castle)

*Gingerbread Zoetrope House: I got a small sneak peek of one of the other houses while I was setting up my castle in Rochester and its got to be one of my absolute favorite gingerbread houses of all time: the Gingerbread Zoetrope House (click to see wonderful video)