A Fort Langley building that has stood the test of time has been immortalized in gingerbread.
On display during the holiday season was a gingerbread replica of the historic Fort Langley Community Hall, complete with ‘windows’.
The sweet tribute was on display at the Blacksmith Bakery.
“We decided to do the FL community Hall this year for that exact reason – community,” said owner and chef Stephan Schigas. “With all that has happened in 2020 it just seemed like the natural thing to do, so many events were cancelled that usually highlight The Hall we thought we’d highlight in our own way.”
The gingerbread hall includes a person seated on benches out front with two dogs and a lit Christmas tree (one of the few inedible parts) and sits on a two foot by two foot board.
“It took me approximately 60 hours to produce,” he said.
The windows are made from isomalt, a sugar alcohol with sugar-like properties that allow the building to be lit from inside.
“This is the first local building we’ve done, but we’ve already drawn up a (long) list of others that we plan to do in the future. Recommendations from your readers are welcome,” he noted. “We’ll probably do some kind of promo closer to the time to get ideas from locals.”
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No one will get to taste the tempting creation.
“We’ll be donating it to the community hall itself for them to display year round,” he said.
The bakery will be getting a clear case made to protect the gingerbread hall for permanent display after Schigas adds some finishing touches.
The bakery opened in late 2014 on the site of the Reid’s Blacksmith Shop which dated from around 1910 with a second location added at the Langley Regional Airport in the summer of 2020. Schigas added that a third location in Latimer Heights (200th Street and 83rd Avenue) will open in late 2021 or early 2022. Based on the positive reaction of the gingerbread hall, this is the start of an annual tradition.
“We plan to have a gingerbread display at each location for Christmas 2021,” Schigas said.
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Chef Stephan Schigas didn't have to travel far for inspiration for a gingerbread building. The owner of the Blacksmith Bakery created a gingerbread Fort Langley Community Hall. (Crocodile Creative/Special to the Langley Advance Times)
In the past, the Fort Langley Community Hall was the village’s centre of activity for Christmas events but due to the coronavirus, many events could not take place. The iconic hall was the subject of a gingerbread house created by the Blacksmith Bakery. (Langley Advance Times files)
