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LIC ginger bread house competition draws plenty of voters

Dec. 16, 2012 By Christian Murray

The Christmas season was in full swing at Malu, the ice cream shop at 12-09 Jackson Ave., yesterday.

The store announced the winner of its second annual ginger-bread house competition and Santa was there to greet local children.

The owners of Malu, Jennifer Dudek and her husband, Sergio Garcia, invited residents to bake a ginger bread house and then display it at their store for customers to vote on. The lure- other than prestige—was a free pint of ice cream each month for a year. There were five entrants.

Suzette Ferrier, a designer at an architecture firm, was announced the winner at 5 pm yesterday. She convincingly beat last year’s winner—a mother and daughter team—once the approximately 100 votes were tallied.

Dudek has always had a fondness for ginger bread houses. “When I was young girl in Pennsylvania there was always an annual ginger bread house competition—where young children to professionals would participate,” she said. “It was so much fun that I wanted to bring it here.”

Dudek said the store always has events like these taking place, especially outside the peak summer season. She said on Friday there was a pop-up music concert where an accordion and ukulele player sang songs for 15 children and 20 adults. This week councilman Jimmy Van Bramer will be coming to the store to read “The night before Christmas.”

Meanwhile, Malu was selling its ice-cream at the Queens County Market Holiday Fair in Sunnyside. The store was offering a variety of holiday flavors, such as egg-nog chip and ginger bread ice-cream. “We take fun-flavor suggestions [from our customers],” Dudek said. However, “we still offer the regular flavors too.”