The enigmatic disappearance of the Epicure gingerbread village, a hallmark of the Christmas season for 11 years, remains a mystery.
Epicure Gingerbread Village Vanishes in Australia
The gingerbread village was established in 2010. Each year, a team of chefs and volunteers from the food supplier Epicure would work from Melbourne Cup Day until the end of November to bake gingerbread and construct the village.


The gingerbread village boasted 600 kg of gingerbread, 460 kg of icing, 200 kg of almond biscuits, and around 900 miniature Christmas trees. Here, gingerbread depicts Melbourne landmarks including Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Zoo, the MCG, Arts Centre, Luna Park, St Kilda Beach, Grand Prix, Royal Children's Hospital, and Flemington Racecourse.


Nearly 1,000 miniature sculptures, featuring penguins, snowmen, sumo wrestlers, and soccer players, stood within the walls of the village.
Entrance fees for the village have been redirected to the Royal Children's Hospital. Over $135,000 has been donated to the hospital in recent years. Deniz Karaca, former pastry chef at Epicure, stated that each year he would lead a team of 2 chefs and 30 volunteers in 'revamping' the village.


Karaca also mentioned long queues for village visits extending out of the door, prompting the city of Melbourne to provide security personnel to manage the crowds.
Initially, the city provided a venue for the gingerbread village at Melbourne City Hall. However, in recent years, the village has been displayed at various locations, including the Emporium shopping center last year.
Mayor Sally Capp noted that this gingerbread village is a special attraction in the city of Melbourne. 'You could really spend hours here finding unique, exciting, and wonderful things,' she said at the time.


Vicinity, the company operating Emporium, provided a venue for the village this year free of charge but received no response. The mayor and a spokesperson for the city of Melbourne declined to comment on why the gingerbread village was not displayed this year.
Sue Hunt, CEO of the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation, also mentioned that this village is a 'beloved tradition' aimed at fundraising for patients.
According to Monster
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Source: Travel guide Mytour
MytourDecember 22, 2022