Adam Brown’s bakery skills on display at Cultural Center

By LYNDON ZAITZ of the Keizertimes
At the Keizer Heritage Museum, inside the Keizer Cultural Center, sits a replica of the building, created in gingerbread.

The rendering was constructed by Keizer City Manager Adam Brown. It will be on display until the middle of January.

A cake decorator from the age of 15, while living in Michigan, Brown started working in gingerbread in 2012. 

“When I visited the White House in fifth grade I saw a gingerbread structure of the White House done by the White House chef and I said to myself that I wanted to do something like that someday,” said Brown.

It took about 40 hours  for Brown to complete the replica of the Keizer Cultural Center.

Brown has made five major gingerbread projects over the past 12 years. 

“The most ornate one I have done was the train depot in Ontario, Oregon. The Cultural Center is probably very close.”

He has also made replicas of Hogwart’s Castle from the Harry Potter franchise, the Carson mansion in Eureka California, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City.

“My parents were married in the Salt Lake City Temple. I wanted to make one of that building before my mom passed away,” said Brown.

“I consider my decorating skills to be average,” Brown said, “but I try to make up for it in size and complexity. Each time I do them, I learn more skills and get better.”

Brown makes eight gingerbread structures each year.

“When all my kids were home I created one for everyone in the family. They were all unique, meaning none of them used the same pattern. Everyone had their own and we would make a village out of them,” he said.

Brown’s own gingerbread structure was much bigger than those of his children.

“They could finish theirs  in one night, and I would continue to work on mine over the holiday month. It’s probably been three years since I made one for everyone in the family.”

A Brown family tradition was to line them all up on a bed sheet after the holidays and use a catapult to launch golf balls at them until they were destroyed.

The public can see Brown’s version of the Keizer Cultural Center before it, too, gets destroyed.

The Keizer Cultural Center is located at 980 Chemawa Road NE.

When all my kids were home I created one for everyone in the family, so eight. They were all unique, meaning none of them used the same pattern. Everyone had their own and we would make a village out of them. Mine was much bigger than theirs. They could finish theirs  in one night, and I would continue to work on mine over the holiday month. It’s probably been three years since I made one for everyone in the family.

A fun family tradition we had was to line them all up on a bed sheet after the holidays and use a catapult made in one of my daughters physics class to launch golf balls at them until they were destroyed.