The annual gingerbread display at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, takes executive pastry chef Sylvain Haage and his crew of 20 about six weeks to build.

75
pounds of gingerbread dough

275
pounds of candies, including gummy bears, gummy sharks, M&Ms, Necco wafers, candy rocks, Sixlets, and Red Vines

150
pounds of chocolate

50
pounds of cereals

250
pounds of egg whites

500
pounds of powdered sugar

24 feet long x 9 feet wide
dimension of display

2 inches to 8 feet
range of show pieces in height