Pastry chef known for extravagant gingerbread displays goes Willy Wonka this year
When he was a young boy, Andy De La Cruz dreamed of becoming Willy Wonka and creating his own “world of pure imagination” with sweet treats.
About a decade ago, the man who grew up to become a pastry chef landed a job at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.
There, he began creating edible holiday displays made of gingerbread cookies, candy and other desserts every winter.
A toy train traveled around a village made up of small gingerbread houses in the hotel’s lobby most years.
In 2012, the hotel and De La Cruz decided they wanted to do something “grander.”
“We wanted to create something that people in the [Newport Beach] community could relate with,” said the 41-year-old West Covina resident. “Since it’s cold in December, you don’t really think about the beach, so we brought the outdoor element indoors.”
Each year since then, De La Cruz and his team of eight workers have created an edible display — including a life-size lifeguard tower, a boat to represent the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and a pile of gifts dropped off at the beach.
Creating the display is something De La Cruz and his team look forward to each year.
“To see the excitement today is pretty unique and quite great,” he said.
This year, with the death of actor Gene Wilder, the original screen Willy Wonka, De La Cruz knew it was time to create his own version of a chocolate factory.
An artist’s rendering of pastry chef Andy De La Cruz’s Island Hotel Chocolate Factory gingerbread house.
The display will mimic the famous scene from the 1971 family film with oversized candy canes, lollipops and cream-filled mushrooms.
De La Cruz expects it to be at least 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, with even more candy and other elements outside of it, making the entire scene even bigger.
Like all of his structures, icing won’t be enough to hold it together. Expect nails. Most everything will be edible, said De La Cruz.
The Island Hotel pastry team began baking the gingerbread earlier this month and expects to begin erecting the structure on Nov. 25. De La Cruz expects the entire display to be completed and decorated by Nov. 27.
Over the years, natural elements, like humidity, have posed problems for the pastry chef.
“A couple of years ago, we had a big rain after we had just finished a display,” De La Cruz said. “Where the display was placed was right at the entrance where a lot of the cold breezes would come in. A lot of stuff started warping and the gingerbread itself would get soft.”
Hungry children have also dug into his pieces, something that De La Cruz discourages. Still, he can’t resist the temptation of sampling his own goods as he creates them.
“Who doesn’t eat the cookie dough when you’re baking cookies?” he asked, laughing.
Isabel Rangel, chef Andy De la Cruz, Reina Rodriguez and Elizabeth Mendoza, from left, are building this year’s Island Hotel Chocolate Factory gingerbread house inspired by the film character Willy Wonka.
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IF YOU GO
What: Island Hotel gingerbread house display
Where: 690 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach
When: Nov. 27 through Dec. 25
Cost: Free
Information: islandhotel.com
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
