meet the 2023 st. james hotel gingerbread display

Curated by in-house Pastry Chef, Amy Zerwas, this years Gingerbread display is a replica of the Red Wing Depot, located just across the street from the St. James Hotel. The Red Wing Depot opened to the public in 1904 and was built by Milwaukee Railroad Architect, J.M. Nettenstrom. The style of the building was influenced by the neoclassical revival of the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.

The building was restored in 1991 and now serves as home to the Red Wing Arts and the Depot Gallery Shop. The Depot is still very active and is a stop for Amtrak on it’s way eastbound to Chicago, Ill. Let’s learn more about the creation put together by Chef Zerwas! 

Chef Amy planned, mixed, constructed, decorated, and staged the gingerbread. Maintenance workers at the St. James cut the display board and helped to carefully move the display to its final destination.

The Depot is 3 feet long, 2 feet tall, and 1.5 feet wide and is estimated to weigh about 100 pounds. Overall there are 22 pounds of flour, 5.5 pounds of shortening, 4.25 pounds of sugar, 12.5 pounds of molasses, 1 pound of cinnamon, 1 pound of clove, .5 pound of all spice, and 50 pounds of powdered sugar.

Chef Amy joined the team at the St. James Hotel in 2020 and thought it would brighten our guests and community’s holiday season and bring joy, since 2020 looked so much different from others.

Enjoy the Gingerbread Depot from now through January 1, 2024, in the main lobby of the St. James Hotel along with the Red Wing Gandy Dancers Train Display which can be viewed on weekends through December 17, 2023.