FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Krista Buckel
Krista.Buckel@cvky.org
859-231-0054 x1034
1122 Main Street
Millersburg, KY 40348
MILLERSBURG, KY. (October 17, 2023) – Mustard Seed Hill is accepting registration entries for the sixth annual Gingerbread House Competition until November 10. Individual and group contestants in six categories will compete for $10,000 in cash prizes. This event is sponsored by Team Kentucky’s Arts, Tourism, and Heritage Cabinet.
“We are thrilled that Team Kentucky has come alongside Mustard Seed Hill to present this beloved competition,” said Victoria Benson, President of Mustard Seed Hill. “These whimsical displays are a recipe for making cherished holiday memories, as they completely capture the magic of the Christmas season. With this kind of prize money on the line, we can’t wait to see what bakers have in store for us this year.”
Rookie and professional bakers are invited to register in one of the following categories: youth, teen, adult, family, group, or pastry chef. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place winners of each category. Gingerbread entries must be delivered to Mustard Seed Hill in Millersburg, Kentucky, between November 27 and 29.
Gingerbread competitors will receive construction guidelines, tips, and best practices to assist them in showcasing their vivid imaginations, baking acumen, and culinary construction skills, and entries must be constructed primarily of gingerbread and must be 100 percent edible.
While gingerbread entries will be judged on November 30, these masterpieces will be displayed at Mustard Seed Hill from Thursday, November 30, through Saturday, December 23. Judges will evaluate each entry based on overall appearance, originality, creativity, neatness, and stability. This year’s gingerbread house judges include:
- Ouita Michel, Owner of Holly Hill Inn
- Chris Michel, Holly Hill Inn Pastry Chef
- Lauren Jacobs, Food Network’s Cheerful Baker
- Toa Green, Owner of Crank and Boom
- Lorrain Smoot, Community Ventures Board Member
- Betty Ann Allen, Paris-Bourbon County Tourism Executive Director
- Lindy Casebier, Kentucky Arts, Tourism, & Heritage Cabinet Secretary
- Mona Lewis Juett, Kentucky Arts, Tourism, & Heritage Cabinet Chief of Staff
Bakers with professional aspirations can take inspiration from previous Gingerbread House competitor Lauren Jacobs, who used her entry to secure a spot in season six of Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge. Now known on Instagram and YouTube as The Cheerful Baker, Jacobs has parlayed her prior pastry experiences into a successful business.
To register to enter Mustard Seed Hill’s Sixth Annual Gingerbread House Competition, visit https://www.mustardseedhill.events/gingerbread-house.
The annual Gingerbread House Competition kicks off the historic event venue’s annual holiday celebration complete with a breathtaking light display, artisan market, holiday tent and cafe, Christmas campfire, live music, and more! To learn more or purchase tickets for Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill, visit https://www.mustardseedhill.events/christmas2023.
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About Mustard Seed Hill: Supported by nonprofit Community Ventures (CV), Mustard Seed Hill (MSH) is the cornerstone of CV’s community revitalization efforts undertaken in 2016 in the tiny Bourbon County town of Millersburg. Beginning with the reimagining of the historic but crumbling Millersburg Military Institute into an elegant wedding and event venue and business incubator, the meticulously renovated MSH is now home to B&B accommodations, numerous small businesses, a school, and a magical holiday extravaganza known as Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill–all of which serve to attract visitors and return the town to the prominence it once enjoyed.
About Community Ventures: Founded in 1982 as a community-based, non-profit organization, Community Ventures (CV) strengthens communities and improves the overall quality of life for Kentuckians by supporting job creation, small business ownership, and home ownership. CV is headquartered in Lexington with branch locations in Bowling Green, Campbellsville, Louisville, Mayfield, Millersburg, and Owensboro. For 21 consecutive years, CV has been named Microlender of the Year by the Kentucky Small Business Administration.