2005 GINGERBREAD HOMES FOR ANIMALS:
New York City Pastry Artists Show Their Support for Animals in Need

A family of wee mice, all dressed up and ready for a holiday party, were lovingly sculpted by Cheryl Kleinman of Cheryl Kleinman Cakes.

New York, NY, January, 2006—In a celebration that paired New Yorkers' love for sweets with their love for animals, 15 of the city's most artistic pastry chefs and bakers donated their talent to build whimsical, animal-themed gingerbread houses as part of 2005 GINGERBREAD HOMES FOR ANIMALS, a 10-day exhibition, fair, and benefit created by Rational Animal and held in the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center in Central Park from December 1st through 11th.

Participating chefs and their gingerbread homes included:

• Martin Howard, Brasserie 8 1/2,
  Kitty Kastle
• Julia Szabo, author of Bow Wow Chow, in collaboration with
  Bill Yosses, Josephs, Nuts to You
• Cheryl Kleinman, Cheryl Kleinman Cakes, House for a Mouse
• Richard Bies, davidburke + donatella, Snake Shack
• Jürgen David, Laurie Ditunno, and Jae Kim, The French Culinary Institute,
  Pale Male's Palace in the Sky
• Ruth Seidler, JollyBe Bakery, Mouse Palace
• Ayse Dizioglu, Polka Dot Cake Studio, The Wise Old Owl's Castle
• Andrea Lekberg, Sweet Melissa Patisserie, Winter Horse Haven
• Matt Hutchins, Tompkins Square Bakery, Down at the Burrow
• Victoria Love, The Water Club, A Dairy in Central Park
• Joëlle Bird and Antonio Huyhua, Whole Foods Market, Puppy Pagoda

In addition to the scenic gingerbread homes display, activities for kids included animal cookie decorating, toys and "adopt me" signs for shelter animals, swan and geese origami, and the Gingerbread Homes for Animals mural. Park Rangers and the ASPCA were on-hand to answer wildlife and domestic animal-related questions.

Proceeds from the event went to Rational Animal, an all-volunteer organization which uses the power of media to promote the welfare of New York's at-risk animals, and The Picasso Veterinary Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emergency medical funds for homeless animals.

Event sponsors included: PastryScoop.com, The French Culinary Institute, Central Park Conservancy, ASPCA, Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, City of New York Parks & Recreation, The New York Dog, Meow Mix, and Dog Tunes.

To request high resolution photos, email info@pastryscoop.com.

Little bakers got a chance to decorate their own animal-shaped cookies courtesy of Rocco's Bakery while learning about the importance of animal care.	A winter snowfall of icing and powdered sugar covered the landscape of A Dairy in Central Park by Victoria Love of The Water Club.	Matt Hutchins of Tompkins Square Bakery created a cozy two-floor abode for a skunk family in Down at the Burrow.
Visiting children got a chance to do their part by designing colorful 'Adopt Me' signs to be used at local animal shelters.	Andrea Lekberg's snow-capped Horse Haven honored the many hard-working carriage horses located in and around Central Park.	Cheryl Kleinman's House for a Mouse is appropriately decorated with sugary Swiss 'cheese' and edible holly leaves.
A two-foot tall chocolate cat topped the colorful Kitty Kastle by Martin Howard of Brasserie 8 1/2.	Laurie Ditunno, Jürgen David, and Jae Kim from The FCI created Pale Male's Palace in the Sky honoring NYC's most famous red-tailed hawk.	Puppy Pagoda from Joëlle Bird and Antonio Huyhua from Whole Foods Market was created using entirely organic ingredients.
A glorious Mouse Palace for two small mice by former-painter-turned-baker Ruth Seidler of JollyBe Bakery.	Richard Bies of davidburke + donatella created a rustic gingerbread log to house a friendly snake of blown sugar in Snake Shack.	Susan Brandt, Rational Animal's executive director, stands between Cake Man Raven's Raven Dennis and guest performer Murray Weinstock.
FCI chefs crafted Pale Male's individual feathers using sugar paste and the same technique used in making wedding cake flowers.	Scrolls of gilded royal icing decorated The Wise Old Owl’s Castle by Ayse Dizioglu of Polka Dot Cake Studio.	From left to right: Victoria Love (The Water Club), Andrea Lekberg (Sweet Melissa Patisserie), Jürgen David and Jae Kim (The FCI), Matt Hutchins (Tompkins Square Bakery), Richard Bies (davidburke + donatella), Ruth Seidler (JollyBe Bakery), Laurie Ditunno (The FCI), and Judiaann Woo, Raina Bien, and Kate Brown (PastryScoop.com).

About Rational Animal, www.rational-animal.org
Rational Animal is an all-volunteer organization that uses the media to increase awareness about NYC's at-risk animals. Rational Animal works closely with the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals on the campaign towards a bright future for NYC's companion animals.

About PastryScoop.com
PastryScoop.com is an online resource designed to inspire and educate both pastry professionals and serious amateur bakers. It provides free content on such topics as dessert trends, baking tips, and food events in order to increase overall awareness of the pastry arts and to promote creativity within the field.

Press Contacts:
Judiaann Woo, 646-254-8543, jwoo@pastyscoop.com
Kate Brown, 646-254-7550, kbrown@frenchculinary.com
Susan Brandt, 917-239-9229, sbrandt@rational-animal.org