NEW YORK CITY PASTRY CHEFS BRING SMILES AND SWEETNESS
WITH GINGERBREAD HOMES FOR ANIMALS

Harmony Palace, Elisa Strauss, Confetti Cakes

NEW YORK, NY. December 5, 2004—A talented group of animal-loving pastry chefs did their part to kick-off the holiday season with Gingerbread Homes for Animals at Central Park's Dana Discovery Center, Wednesday, December 1st through Sunday, December 5th. The five-day education and fundraising event helped raise awareness and money to benefit New York City's at-risk animal population.

GINGERBREAD HOMES FOR ANIMALS was presented by Rational Animal and hosted by PastryScoop.com in conjunction with some of the city's most dedicated animal-welfare organizations. Held during the holiday season, its goal was to illuminate the plight of the city's most disadvantaged animal inhabitants—many of whom are in need of a place to call home. In addition to the whimsical edible sculptures on display to the public, the fair featured a list of daily activities including animal-care workshops, face-painting for kids, pet adoptions, sales of do-it-yourself gingerbread home kits, baked treats for people and pets, and a raffle to win one of the many fantastic animal-inspired homes.

The pastry chefs who donated their gingerbread creations for the cause included: Jürgen David, Rebecca Kaiser, Lauri Ditunno, Toni Dickinson, and Thomas Jones from The French Culinary Institute, Jeri Gottlieb of Flour Girl bakery, Colette Peters of Colette's Cakes, and Elisa Strauss from Confetti Cakes.

All sales from the event went to benefit at-risk animals through The Picasso Fund, providing grants to shelters and rescue groups to cover veterinary costs for homeless animals, and Rational Animal, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness of New York's at-risk and homeless animal population.

Sea Monkey Magic Castle, Jürgen David, The French Culinary Institute	Pastry chefs from The French Culinary Institute show their support for at-risk animals.	We count two cats, but where is the invisible cat?
Holiday Music, Jeri Gottlieb, Flour Girl	The Invisible Cat and Friends Waiting for Christmas, Rebecca Kaiser, The French Culinary Institute	Fido’s Gingerbread House, Thomas Jones, The French Culinary Institute
Fric and Frac’s House, Colette Peters, Colette’s Cakes	A cozy home for a very lucky frog!	The Christmas Igloo, Lauri Ditunno, The French Culinary Institute
Canary Cathedral, Toni Dickinson, The French Culinary Institute	Volunteers from Rational Animal and PastryScoop.com
To request high-resolution photos, email info@pastryscoop.com.

GINGERBREAD HOMES FOR ANIMALS was made possible by:

Rational Animal www.rational-animal.org
Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals www.animalalliancenyc.org
PastryScoop.com www.pastryscoop.com
The French Culinary Institute www.frenchculinary.com
ASPCA www.aspca.org
Central Park Conservancy www.centralparknyc.org
Animal Care and Control (AC&C) www.nycacc.org

Press Contacts:
Judiaann Woo, 646-254-8543, jwoo@pastryscoop.com
Susan Brandt, 917-239-9229, sbrandt@rational-animal.org