If you’re feeling like an elf preparing for Christmas, take a coffee break with Santa’s elves, shown in the intricate gingerbread creation by Karen Wood, on display at Einstein Brothers Bagels in Urbana.
Each year, she designs and builds a gingerbread creation for the restaurant. Marc Bralts, the restaurant’s owner, says, “To call it a ‘house’ is underselling it because she makes them so elaborate.” This year, Karen created a scene of Santa’s workshop full of elves building ice sculptures and sleds from real “red velvet” bagels. Outside, elves wear candy-cane ice skates to breeze across a frozen pond made of rock candy. Smooth frosting hides the mound of Rice Krispies that make the sledding hill.
A new design element this year is a string of tiny blue lights inside Santa’s workshop. Karen says, “They’re the only thing that’s not edible. And the foil by Santa. Everything else is edible.”
Karen started ten years ago with a little gingerbread house kit. Her designs have grown every season. “This one’s got six bags of Rice Krispies treats and three bags of marshmallows. About 14 pounds of powdered sugar, because there’s lots of area to cover. Probably 10 pounds of flour. And I buy molasses by the gallon. It lasts two years,” she laughs. “Most of my buildings are from patterns in books. But those are a much smaller scale, so I use a computer to make the pattern bigger. This one took me about 60 hours to make.”
These gingerbread creations aren’t related to her full-time work as a buyer for a local hobby company. Baking is one of her hobbies. And for Karen, sharing a gingerbread creation starts the holidays. Five years ago, she first had the idea to bring her creations to the bagel shop where she and her husband Kenny, a retired farmer, had become regular customers and friends with the owners. Karen likes to incorporate the restaurant in her design, and makes a gingerbread person for every employee. “Marc’s got a coffee cart outside. The elves are on break, so he’s handing out gingerbread bagels and cinnamon coffee, because that’s what they have this year.” She adds, “Usually in September I get kind of stressed because I’ve got to come up with something. This year, a toy shop caught my attention.”
Some of her earlier creations include a Ferris wheel, a castle and a train. Kenny remembers, “That caught most of us off guard, a holiday train theme using bagels for train wheels. That’s my favorite. Until this one.”
Edible structural elements can be challenging to work with because they can change consistency in weeks, or days. For example, Karen uses icing to cement pieces together. When icing dries over time, sometimes a piece can fall off. “I always bring extra icing so I’m prepared for mishaps along the way.”
Edible structures are also tempting. Even when surrounded by fresh bagels, Marc predicts that, “We might have lost an elf here or there.” He continues, “We’re very, very fortunate that she’s willing to commit so much time to building something that gets everyone in the spirit.”
Her husband Kenny agrees, “Truly amazing. Each year I say, ‘I don’t think you can outdo it next year.’ But she does.”
Karen’s “Coffee Break at the North Pole” will be on display through Christmas and up to New Year’s — if Hansel and Gretel can stop themselves.
— Written by Amy Young of Urbana.
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