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Sweet sculpture: Bedford Springs pastry department creates replica resort from gingerbread

Bedford Springs pastry department creates replica resort from gingerbread

By Colette Costlow 5 min read

BEDFORD -- Omni Bedford Springs Resort now features an edible version of itself.

For the past five years, the resort's pastry department has displayed large-scale gingerbread creations in the lobby, including houses, villages and even a working carousel.

Constructing a replica of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, however, was a new task for executive pastry chef Harshal Naik and his team.

Starting in August, they sculpted pillars from Styrofoam and 3D-printed lighting fixtures for Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. They baked 5,105 gingerbread bricks inscribed with the word "Omni" to line the building's exterior or the roof's shingles.

Naik said his team puts a lot of time and effort into pulling off these large-scale gingerbread creations, but visitors' reactions make it all worth it.

"Especially the kids, looking at their smiles is more than a paycheck for me," he said.

To celebrate 230 years of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, general manager Amanda Burroughs said a gingerbread display of the historic hotel pays homage to their roots.

She said this project wouldn't be possible without Naik and his team.

"I challenged him to do something very uniquely Bedford Springs, and he came through with flying colors," she said.

Naik designed the 32-by-12-foot replica -- just two feet shorter than the lobby's width -- on top of his regular duties as pastry chef, working with his team a few hours each week.

"I didn't want to make it this big, but then you're making it 10, 20 feet, you might as well just add 10 more and use the whole area," he said with a laugh.

They constructed the non-edible parts of the display in the hotel's outdoor pool area, which closed for the season in October, he said. Once all the parts were ready, the team assembled the final product in the lobby.

"We tried to replicate every small detail," he said, adding that they will place small chairs, wreaths and people around the model once it's finished Tuesday night. A small replica of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort gingerbread house will be visible from the doors.

"There's a gingerbread house inside a gingerbread house," he said.

The colors of the gingerbread bricks were also baked with intention, he said, noting that his team baked them in three shades of dark red to match the hotel's exterior.

"When we made the dough, I was coming in and out 15 times to match the brick colors," he said.

Paying attention to detail goes a long way when welcoming guests into the hotel, he said, putting people in a good mood from the moment they step into the lobby.

"You see this whimsical, beautiful gingerbread house, and it instantly puts you in holiday mode," he said. "You start on the right foot."

Holiday helpers

Naik said this project wouldn't have been possible without his four pastry department employees, who dedicated their time and energy this fall to the project's success.

"They're very happy to do this because they feel proud when everything is done," he said. "They take pride in their work."

On Monday, senior pastry chef Lily Richardson and pastry chef Gaby Alvarez were using white icing to stick gingerbread bricks to the structure.

Richardson said creating a large-scale gingerbread display at the Omni is special, as it's not a common tradition in other hotels.

"It's something you would never get to do at a place other than here," she said.

Alvarez started working with Naik when the department built a gingerbread carousel in 2024. She said she wants to keep learning when Naik creates his next great holiday production.

"The gingerbread houses always make me get excited," she said.

Executive sous chef Mustafa Umuc also helps where he can, he said, doing some labor or making sure the pastry crew is well fed before working on the display in the lobby.

Noting that Naik is the brains behind the operation, Umuc said his ideas grow bigger each year, but they always come to life when visitors walk through the doors.

"Our mentality at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort is that people come in and feel that they're at home," he said. "We're trying to give them a holiday with history, creativity and fun."

Frequent guest Aaryn Kopp of Washington, D.C., looked at the gingerbread house in progress with her family Monday afternoon.

"It seems so big," she said. "It instantly puts me in the holiday spirit."

Christmas memories

With the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Naik said his team has until Tuesday night to complete the project.

The crew started assembling the house on Sunday and worked on small details Monday afternoon. They still had final touches to add, Naik said, such as placing 3D-printed rocking chairs on the porch and fencing at the bottom of the structure.

Naik said he planned to hand the ceremony over to Burroughs because she has positively impacted the resort since 2023.

"She's improved the quality of life here and the workplace environment," he said.

Burroughs said she loves the resort's annual gingerbread display put on by Naik and his team because guests love it, too. Many intentionally plan their visits around the holiday season for the full Omni resort experience.

It's a huge honor to be part of someone's holiday traditions, she said, so they have to level up their game each year to ensure people come back again.

"That's what we do it for; it's for the guests and to be a part of their memories and traditions," Burroughs said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

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