East Idaho News spoke with Executive Pastry Chef Xavier Baudinet and window display artist Jonnie Hartman about the Grand America Hotel's Songs of the Season Holiday Window Stroll and its towering gingerbread centerpiece.ve
September 30, 2025
Today I’m at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, chatting with Executive Pastry Chef Xavier Baudinet and Jonnie Hartman, an artist who designed the Holiday Window Stroll at the hotel.
The theme for the window displays this year is “Songs of the Season.” The story follows Tux the Penguin and each window presentation is focused on a Christmas song.
The hotel also has a cherished annual holiday tradition featuring a magnificent gingerbread house display that was crafted by Chef Xavier. Many consider this Utah’s most over-the-top gingerbread house display, and for over a decade, Chef Xavier has transformed the hotel’s lobby with a towering, elaborately decorated gingerbread creation.