Gingerbread Village is a Heart's Delight

Chris Howell NewsOn6.com

TULSA---Michael Minden, owner and Chef of Michael V's Restaurant, has been making gingerbread houses for around twenty years. He created them when he worked for Marriott Hotels and Disney, and it was a tradition at his own restaurant. That tradition was almost broken when Michael had a heart attack four months ago.

‘I wasn't going to do it because of the heart attack and cardiac rehab and everything,' Minden said, ‘but a lot of my employees and my manager and my wife told me "Michael, people really need that this year."'

So he stayed up late in his kitchen rolling out gingerbread and decorating it with royal icing and candy until, 50 hours and hundreds of dollar later, he had created an entire gingerbread village, complete characters he calls the Foonman family, made of marzipan. He dedicates the village to his friends and patron that saw him through his heart attack, and to his wife who saved him by acting quickly. He invites everyone to come to his restaurant, have some homemade pie and enjoy the scene he created. He also hope it bring smiles to those affected by the recession.

‘Hopefully this will help a lot of people through their hard times,' he said.

Michael V's is located at 8222 E 103rd Street South in Tulsa.