photography by Ari Nordhagen
One of the most historic and iconic areas in the Spokane region is Riverfront Park. It holds great beauty all year round, but when winter arrives, there’s something extra-special about this 100 acre park; it often epitomizes the phrase “Winter Wonderland,” and visitors can feel like they’re living in a snow globe while strolling through its magical landscape. Spokane local, Chef Ricky Webster, corporate chef and business resource manager for Sysco Spokane, created a life-size gingerbread house last year in the lobby of his former employer, Hotel RL (now the Centennial Hotel). Recently, he created a gingerbread rendition of Riverfront Park, bringing several of the iconic aspects of the park to delicious life.
“My wintry rendition of this historic and iconic Spokane landscape is made from lots of sugar and gingerbread,” says Webster. “I actually incorporate gingerbread in more than just the structural ‘house’ type pieces such as the clock tower. I wanted to make sure to capture some of the most iconic areas of the park, and although it’s not to scale, those areas are highlighted in an enlarged and animated state to emphasis the city’s pride in them.”
When Webster moved to Spokane in 2017, arriving in February, one of the first things he fell in love with was the snow and ice covered park. He lived in Hotel RL for the first two months, and Riverfront Park was his backyard. “Often where we would walk the dogs to escape the hotel confines,” he says. “There is something magical, yet slightly eerie about the snow blanketed park and the silence you experience when snow is falling.”
Webster was compelled to touch upon and convey that feeling in his two foot by three foot display. Chef Ricky has taken his creative passion and created something that will bring joy and wonder to many, which is something he loves to do.
“There are a few things that inspire me, and it really depends on the medium I’m working in,” he says. “At the end of the day, providing an out of body experience for someone is what gets those creative juices flowing. I want to lift someone from reality for a period of time—whether it be just a second or for a few minutes—getting to see that person marvel in delight at the plate, cake or dessert I put in front of them as well as seeing someone’s eyes light up when they peer through a window of a gingerbread house, that really fuels my passion.”
Chef Ricky has certainly created something magical in his gingerbread rendition of Riverfront Park and given it the ability to evoke emotion and transport a person through wonderment—perhaps even sending them on a sentimental journey.
Catch Chef Ricky Webster appearing on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge and Holiday Gingerbread Showdown this Holiday Season.
