NYC landmarks made of gingerbread now on display at MCNY
Waldorf Astoria New York by Brianna Farrell and Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower by Susanna Caliendo and Mario DiBiase. All photos by Brad Farwell for MCNY
You can’t eat these New York City landmarks, though you may want to. The Museum of the City of New York’s fifth annual Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off opened to the public on Friday, featuring edible creations of iconic landmarks by talented professional and independent bakers from across the five boroughs. This year’s theme, “Iconic New York,” invited participants to reimagine a building, place, or thing that represents the heart of their neighborhood, community, or borough. A panel of judges awarded prizes across several categories, with Angela Carlucci winning “Best Overall” for her spirited, edible depiction of the Coney Island Cyclone.
“Over five years, bakers have built the Dakota, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the street from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and a coffee and a bagel,” Jerry Gallagher, chief operating officer at MCNY, said. “That range is the point.”
“New Yorkers find their city in its landmarks and its literature, and just as surely in the breakfast they carry to work,” he added. “This exhibition puts all of it on equal footing, which is how the people who live here actually experience New York.”
This year’s participants and their creations include:
Manhattan
- Alyssa Fuhrman & Michael Fiorelli: Central Park’s Belvedere Castle
- Brianna Farrell: Waldorf Astoria New York
- Catherine, Steve, Penny & Marg: The Oculus at the World Trade Center
- Gina Del Sordo: Empire State Building
- Harriet Provine: Historic Central Park Restroom
- César Aldrete & Ricky Rotandi: Little Island
- Kailee Moore: Grand Central Terminal
- Kate Sullivan of Cake Power: New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
- Loretta Bricchi Lee: Times Square
- Melanie McNeil: The High Line’s “Dinosaur” by Iván Argote
- Michael Donaghy: Mother Gingerbread, New York City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”
- Kelly Hilberth: The Little Red Lighthouse
Queens
- Adam B. Shapiro: Astoria’s Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
- Karen Chin of Just Add Kare: Takeout from Flushing’s Chinatown
Brooklyn
- Angela Carlucci: Coney Island Cyclone
- Jennifer Roth & Sofia Rodriguez: Prospect Lefferts Gardens Historic District
- Paola Giraldo of Cookiefy: Nathan’s Famous
- Susanna Caliendo of Something Sugared & Mario DiBiase of Sotto Voce Restaurant: Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower
- Julia Kiske of Oui Bakely: Federal Building and Post Office
The Bronx
- Juliet Galea: Bronx Beats
Staten Island
- Chiara Klein & Diggle: Ariemma’s Italian Deli
This year’s participating judges are:
- Bobbie Lloyd, CEO and Chief Baking Officer, Magnolia Bakery
- Nadine Orenstein, Drue Heinz Curator in Charge, Department of Drawings and Prints, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Former Judge, National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, NC
- Amy Scherber, Owner and Founder, Amy’s Bread; Member, Bread Bakers Guild of America
- Melba Wilson, Owner, Melba’s Restaurant; Author, Melba’s American Comfort: 100 Recipes from My Heart to Your Kitchen (2016)
This year’s award categories and 2026 winners are:
- Best Overall: Angela Carlucci (Coney Island Cyclone)
- Most Unique: César Aldrete & Ricky Rotandi (Little Island) and Angela Carlucci (Coney Island Cyclone)
- Most Realistic: Chiara Klein & Diggle (Ariemma’s Italian Deli) and Angela Carlucci (Coney Island Cyclone)
- Good Enough to Eat: Angela Carlucci (Coney Island Cyclone)
- Best Borough Spirit—The Bronx: Juliet Galea (Bronx Beats)
- Best Borough Spirit—Brooklyn: Angela Carlucci (Coney Island Cyclone)
- Best Borough Spirit—Manhattan: Brianna Farrell (Waldorf Astoria New York) and César Aldrete & Ricky Rotandi (Little Island)
- Best Borough Spirit—Queens: Adam B. Shapiro (Astoria’s Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden)
- Best Borough Spirit—Staten Island: Chiara Klein & Diggle (Ariemma’s Italian Deli)
Exhibition visitors can help choose the “People’s Choice” winner by voting through a QR code throughout the show’s run.
You can book a timed ticket to see Gingerbread NYC here. Adult admission is $23, with children and teens 18 and under free. The museum is pay-what-you-can for New Yorkers and free to all on Wednesdays.
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