Wonderland Castle in Gingerbread

This photograph shows the gingerbread display in the State Dining Room created by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and the White House pastry team for the 1998 holiday season. To complement the "Winter Wonderland" theme selected by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the pastry team created an ambitious "wonderland castle" gingerbread display. With a base measuring four by six feet, at the time it was the largest gingerbread house created by Mesnier and too large to be displayed in the traditional location on the pier side table in the State Dining Room.