Page 14 - ARUBA TODAY

A14 LOCAL
Thursday 14 december 2017
A Gingerbread Aruban House to Help Hurricane Victims

PALM BEACH - The Ritz- iced sugar is used. The cated Ladies & Gentlemen
Carlton, Aruba has a sur- house is completely hand- to finalize this project, from
prise in their lobby for this made and it required a lot the engineering team to
holiday season. You really of work. 15 kilos of candies make the structure to the
need to go and see it, but are to be found on the baking team, the decora-
make yourself the promise house itself. We did it in tor and sales and market-
NOT to take a bite. It may 562 hours of work with 12 ing.” She explains that this
sounds strange, but you will people in total.” Are they Gingerbread House is built
be tempted. We are talking done with eating ginger- with a purpose. “We at
about a replica of a typical bread themselves now? Ritz-Carlton, Aruba always
Old Cunucu House and the “Yes, we are indeed”, the look out to support a good
bricks are made of ….. Gin- trio laughs out loud. They cause. Last year we sup-
gerbread. explain that the days were ported the restoration of
long, most of them slept the California lighthouse
The reveal ceremony took only a couple of hours and here on the island. This year
place Tuesday night in the came back again to build we decided to take care
presence of invited press on the house. “October we of our family, the Marriott
and the Ladies & Gentle- started baking the bricks, associates in the region
men of The Ritz-Carlton, the 24th of November the where the hurricane im-
Aruba (that is how the ho- actual building began. The pact was devastating: St.
tel’s employees are called) names on the roof decora- Thomas, St. Maarten and
that were involved in the tion of the house are the Puerto Rico.” Hotel manag-
making of this piece of art. names of the persons that er Louella Brezovar adds:
Aruba Today talked to the worked on it.” “We have a donation box
three chefs who proudly next to the house where
elaborated on their cook- For the Hurricane Victims we collect for the Disas-
ie house. “We used 4.000 Yahira Santoni, Communi- ter Relief Funds, those that
kilo dough to create the cations Manager of the ho- were impacted by the hur-
3.700 bricks. 203 kilos of tel: “It takes a team of dedi- ricane. Last week our four

properties of Marriott and about this as well as the
Ritz-Carlton came togeth- staff.”
er in the organization of a Back to the chefs as Aruba
fundraising dinner with the Today is curious if it hap-
goal to raise 50.000 dollar pens that children take a
which we accomplished, bite from the house. They
so that is very exciting. But laugh as it did happen and
on top of that the 4 hotels this is confirmed by a pass-
each have their own differ- ing guest who warns his
ent options to raise funds. children. “I warn you, do
All guests are informed not eat that house.”q