In retrospect, Gil says, he should have covered more of the candy cane with fondant to reinforce it. And completed the project the night before to allow it to dry and set.
Lesson learned: When building in L.A., always prepare for a natural disaster. --Leilah Bernstein
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DIY
You could spend the entire holiday season in the kitchen creating a gingerbread masterpiece. Better yet, try these shortcuts.
Pick up an easy gingerbread kit at Trader Joe's. The $6.99 set includes gingerbread pieces that fit together via notches and grooves, as well as iced cookies and small edible people for decoration. www.traderjoes.com.
A pre-assembled gingerbread house in the midcentury Modern style is sure to impress guests. This edible work of art also has a garage and rock garden. $78 at www.redenvelope.com.
Williams-Sonoma's inventive seven-piece set of cookie cutters forms gingerbread houses, figures and evergreen trees that, once baked and assembled, can stand upright. $19.95 at www.williams-sonoma.com.
To embellish any store-bought purchase and give it a personal touch, visit Galco's Soda Pop Stop for a wonderful selection of old-fashioned candies, including Dots, Jujyfruits, Candy Buttons and Necco Wafers. 5702 York Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 255-7115; www.sodapopstop.com.
At Surfas, you can easily get lost among the sweet choices: edible gold and silver, edible glitter, sugar "decorrettes" (snowmen, Santa faces, Christmas trees, candy canes), colored and chocolate sprinkles, licorice, nuts and dried fruit. 8777 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-4770; www.surfasonline.com.
Sweet Factory is a dream of a candy shop, with various locations in Southern California. Walls and shelves are lined with bins containing Bottle Caps, jelly beans, candy pebbles, butterscotch and more. www.sweetfactory.com.
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For a gingerbread recipe, to upload photos of your own gingerbread creations to our website and to view plans for the Chemosphere house that never was, go to latimes.com/magazinegingerbread.
