Yahoo Lifestyle Annual Gingerbread Competition Turns Into Fundraiser for Hurricane Helene Relief: 'Beautiful to See' (Exclusive)
Following Hurricane Helene, the Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa in Asheville turned its annual gingerbread contest into a festive celebration to spread holiday cheer
The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa
Nov. 2024-- Entry 7 â Julie, Michael, and Jene Andreacola, Gingerbread House Name: Healing the Scars, Indian Trail, NC POST-HURRICANE UPDATE: Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the 32nd Annual National Gingerbread Competition was cancelled. However, The Omni Grove Park Inn will keep the spirit of its treasured tradition alive through the Gingerbread Trail of Giving. For the first time, 40+ gingerbread artists will display their cookie and candy creations at local businesses throughout the Asheville community (See a complete list of participating locations here). Some houses will remain on display at The Omni Grove Park Inn, which will re-open for overnight visitation on Nov. 15. Gingerbread houses can be viewed from November 23, 2024 through January 5, 2025. Check out the Gingerbread Trail of Giving Map, below:asheville,NC there's usually a big gingerbread house competition at a fancy hotel in asheville every year. as people were baking and building helene hit, so instead of making it a contest at the hotel this year they invited people who were done/who wanted to showcase their houses to still bring them to town and now they're on display all over town for people to enjoyAmidst the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, one hotel is dedicated to spreading cheer.
For the past 31 years, the Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa has hosted an annual gingerbread house contest, a cherished tradition that brings the Asheville, N.C., community together to admire the elaborate gingerbread creations made by local residents.
In the wake of Helene's impact on Asheville and the subsequent cancellation of the competition, the Inn decided to keep the tradition alive — with a twist. “Our leadership team, who oversees the planning of the competition, reimagined a way to continue the competition while honoring the artists behind these beautiful creations and benefiting the community,” the Inn’s executive pastry chef John Cook tells PEOPLE.
Related: Aftermath of Hurricane Helene Causes North Carolina Residents to Use Mule Trains to Deliver Supplies
The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa
Entry 14 â Navarra Fritz (age 11), Gingerbread House Name: Country Breakfast, Barnarsville, NC Nov. 2024-- POST-HURRICANE UPDATE: Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the 32nd Annual National Gingerbread Competition was cancelled. However, The Omni Grove Park Inn will keep the spirit of its treasured tradition alive through the Gingerbread Trail of Giving. For the first time, 40+ gingerbread artists will display their cookie and candy creations at local businesses throughout the Asheville community (See a complete list of participating locations here). Some houses will remain on display at The Omni Grove Park Inn, which will re-open for overnight visitation on Nov. 15. Gingerbread houses can be viewed from November 23, 2024 through January 5, 2025. Check out the Gingerbread Trail of Giving Map, below:asheville,NCThe result was the "Gingerbread Trail of Giving," a collaboration among 45 local Asheville businesses that agreed to display gingerbread houses created by those who had already crafted their entries for the competition, spreading holiday cheer throughout the city.
“We received overwhelming support and numerous requests from local community members and business owners to host a gingerbread house,” Cook says. “For many, visiting the hotel during the holiday season to view the gingerbread creations, enjoy a meal, and savor our signature hot chocolate has become a cherished tradition. Because of this, they were eager to bring the tradition into these local businesses to help carry it on in a new and meaningful way.”
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The sweet-and-spicy works of art — from cityscapes to windmills— are now on display through Jan. 5 at the hotel and throughout the city. Each display features a QR code for donations to the Always Asheville Fund, which supports efforts to help small travel and hospitality businesses in the tourist-beloved area recover.
The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa
Nov. 2024-- Entry 8 â Jessica Frost, Gingerbread House Name: A Cup of Cheer, El Paso, TX POST-HURRICANE UPDATE: Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the 32nd Annual National Gingerbread Competition was cancelled. However, The Omni Grove Park Inn will keep the spirit of its treasured tradition alive through the Gingerbread Trail of Giving. For the first time, 40+ gingerbread artists will display their cookie and candy creations at local businesses throughout the Asheville community (See a complete list of participating locations here). Some houses will remain on display at The Omni Grove Park Inn, which will re-open for overnight visitation on Nov. 15. Gingerbread houses can be viewed from November 23, 2024 through January 5, 2025. Check out the Gingerbread Trail of Giving Map, below:asheville,NC there's usually a big gingerbread house competition at a fancy hotel in asheville every year. as people were baking and building helene hit, so instead of making it a contest at the hotel this year they invited people who were done/who wanted to showcase their houses to still bring them to town and now they're on display all over town for people to enjoy“It’s devastating to see what’s happened to our community, but it’s beautiful to see people come together and help keep tradition alive and share their skills,” the pastry chef tells PEOPLE. “The gingerbread season brings joy to a lot of people who have become family through this competition and it’s great to see them not let something like this bring them down.”
While the community found a way to keep the tradition alive this holiday season, Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa is eager to return to its regularly scheduled program next year. “We are looking forward to bringing back the in-person competition in 2025,” Cook says. “We have already announced that entries will be accepted as of July 25, 2025!”
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