Gingerbread displays at Harrah's and Harveys depict Virginia City

Just in time for the holidays, elves from the Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe bakery departments have created two “Gingerbread Virginia City” displays in the lobbies of both of their lobbies.

It took 400 pounds of fresh secret gingerbread spiced dough and 120 pounds of royal icing to create the hundreds of gingerbread cutout, house, numerous frosted candies, candy canes and pinecones which are part of the displays. There was also 200 hours of craftsmen-like hard work accomplished with the help of five of Harrah’s and Harveys top international culinary students working on the projects.

This year, executive pastry chef Guido Landolt chose the famous and historic regional attraction Virginia City in the wintertime as his inspiration for the annual display, replete with houses, churches, a fire house, Comstock silver mines (complete with signature headframes), “clapboard” buildings, and with gingerbread renditions of the venerable St. Mary’s in the Mountains Roman Catholic Church topping the displays.

“When I visited the ghost town of Bodie (Calif.) this past September, I found the old buildings so photogenic I just had to incorporate a historic mining town into this years’ theme,” Chef Landolt says. “It inspired me to visit and choose Virginia City because it’s such a picturesque, local treasure and so interconnected with Lake Tahoe’s own history.”

Be sure to check-out the “Gingerbread Villages” during this holiday season. They will be on display through New Year’s Day.

- South Tahoe Now staff report