MAE JULIAN
Dear Readers,
As you may remember from former columns, I have a good friend from Waynedale. Her name is Nance Lee. She lived on Ideal Avenue, and we were together through our childhood and are still together. We are now grandparents. Her daughter, Jennifer, is in the Culinary Arts Program and I hope you in the Fort, and surrounding areas, will take the opportunity to go see Jen’s artwork with this gingerbread house. It will be on display along with the other prizewinners until the weekend after Christmas (see Community Calendar this issue). If you want the best cheesecake in the world, she sells them on weekends through O’Charley’s Restaurant on Lima Road.
This is written by my friend, Nancy:
FORT WAYNE GINGERBREAD FESTIVAL
At The Historical Museum-Corner of Berry & Barr Streets, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jennifer Lawrence Nycum is a 2nd year student in the Culinary Arts program at Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne. This year, as a requirement of her Cakes, Icings & Fillings Advanced Class she was required to submit an entry to the Gingerbread Festival at the Historical Museum. Her entry will determine her mid-term grade.
Jennifer and her fellow student colleague, Hank Helmke spent approximately 10 hours in preparation of their project, which must be constructed of totally edible products. Hank had a model of a fishing shack, (a collector’s piece from his mother’s collection), and after taking measurements to scale, they made templates from cardboard. The gingerbread dough was rolled out, and the templates were placed on it and cut prior to baking. Royal icing was used to glue all parts together; to construct the fishing boat, oars, and the fisherman sitting inside it. This was also used to obtain the stucco look to the sides, and also, to attach all decorations. Jennifer and Hank also made use of gummy fish (what would a lake be without fish?), lifesavers used to represent flotation devices for the boat, short thin pretzels used to construct the dock floor, steps and railings, pretzel rods put under the shack to raise it off the ground, tootsie rolls, wheat chex (to give the roof its shake look), river rock candy applied to the foundation around the step area, brown sugar (to simulate sand), root beer barrel candy used as posts on the dock, and gelatin sheets with piping gel applied over it to make the water look wet. Gelatin sheets were also used as glass in the windows. For their effort, Jennifer and Hank placed 3rd in the Culinary Arts Division of the Festival and received a monetary reward of $75.00.
Jennifer is the daughter of Dave and Nancy Lawrence. She is a 1985 graduate of Heritage High School, Monroeville, Indiana; and the mother of a 3-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.
She is employed at O’Charley’s on Lima Road as a kitchen trainer, responsible for training employees. She also bakes cheesecakes which O’Charley’s features on the weekends. Trust me, they are absolutely delicious and well worth the time to travel from the Waynedale area to the northside of Fort Wayne to taste a little piece of heaven. Jennifer aspires to one day soon own her own bakeshop, specializing in many of the original cheesecake recipes she has developed.
This is Mae, again. I have partaken of Jen’s cheesecake and if you want heaven in a bite, go and see for yourself. Perhaps Mrs. Wayne Dale would consider driving north just this once, and give Jen a rating. Take your tubby hubby’s bib, Mrs. Wayne Dale. And expect him to not leave until he has partaken of a piece of every cheesecake. He won’t be able to choose, so give him some guidance!
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving,
Mae
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