An extraordinary, edible edifice (except for the jeweled ornaments) was unveiled at New York Institute of Technology's de Seversky Center in Old Westbury, New York this week in preparation for the holiday season. World-renowned jeweler Theo Faberge of the London-based St. Petersburg Collection collaborated with culinary artisans from NYIT's Culinary Arts Center to create a magical, gingerbread rendering of the elegant de Seversky Center, one of the most magnificent gems on Long Island's fabled Gold Coast.
Fittingly, the tiny evergreen in front of the house is bedecked with miniature Faberge egg pendants and topped with a brilliantly sparkling Starburst Crystal pendant designed by Theo Faberge's daughter, Sarah Faberge.
De Seversky Center pastry chef Lori M. Fortunato worked tirelessly for over a week "building" her gingerbread version of the neo-classical Georgian mansion, which was built by Alfred I. Du Pont in 1918 and later was home to such great families as the Phipps and Guests. Under the watchful eye of de Seversky Executive Chef Robert Rizzuto, the young culinary wizard, Fortunato, proved herself a "master builder" wielding her pastry tube as a welder, painstakingly assembling the almost three-foot-long mansion. Appropriately, "royal icing" served as the "mortar" for this clever confection.
No holiday tableau would be complete without "gifts." Theo and Sarah Faberge - whose ancestors refined the art of gift giving to the highest level with their magnificent objects d'art created for the Czars of Russia, European royalty and countless heads of state have provided two quintessentially Faberge bejeweled creations to sit "under the tree"- a ruby and pearl trimmed oval frame from Sarah's recent collaboration and Theo Faberge's highly coveted "Yuletide-Egg" a wondrously, whimsical crystal displaying holiday scenes both externally and internally.
Perhaps the most expensive gingerbread house ever, the "Faberge Fantasy Gingerbread House" is valued at $25,000. Proceeds from the sale of this truly unique holiday display will support student scholarships and educational programs at NYIT.
Additionally significant is the link of Old Westbury to Russia and England. The Faberge family rose to international prominence in Czarist Russia creating masterpieces of precious gems, metals, crystal and enamel. Faberge objects are highly valued by museums and private collectors around the globe. Now approaching 80, Theo Faberge continues to create breathtaking bejeweled fantasies in the family's atelier in London. Daughter Sarah, the sixth generation of the family, has achieved international recognition for her delightful and charming Zodiac Eggs, miniature egg pendants and a fantastical "Nursery Rhyme" series.
The de Seversky Mansion is named after Alexander P. de Seversky, the famous Russian aviator, and member of NYIT's Board of Trustees. He was instrumental in the acquisition of the mansion from the Winston Guest family. The Guest family tree includes Winston Churchill and the seventh Duke of Marlborough. In the great heyday of the jazz era chronicled by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the mansion was the setting for many celebrity and royalty filled affairs. More recently, Liza Minelli and Dudley Moore under the approving gaze of Sir John Gielgud waltzed around the mansion's elegant halls in the film "Arthur."
This extraordinary one-of-a-kind offering would add grace and charm to any holiday display and provide lasting joy for the connoisseur of beauty.
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