# My Gingerbread House Bakers - Susan Halme and Melissa Redell | Tosh Show Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee52rymz8r8 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/ee52rymz8r8 Generated: 2025-12-02T14:37:12.852+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Daniel Tosh discusses the logistics and philosophy behind his family's elaborate, custom gingerbread house tradition, revealing that they use royal icing for construction and that the house is so large it requires its own shipping and storage plan, which the guests, Susan and Melissa Halme, find amusing due to their own experience with the bakery's creations. **Key Points:** - The discussion centers on the complexity and scale of the Tosh family's custom gingerbread house, which is apparently so large it has a $3,600 estimated value. - The gingerbread house is constructed using royal icing, which the guests confirm is a sturdy, edible glue, unlike the sugar icing Tosh dislikes. - Tosh reveals that he has to plan for shipping and storage, mentioning the house is 24 feet high and 22 feet wide, and that he has to order it every year. - The guests, Susan and Melissa Halme, run a bakery in Solvang, California, and they initially created a smaller gingerbread house for the holidays, but their son's request for a larger one led to the current elaborate tradition. - Tosh jokingly suggests that their successful business model relies on people not wanting to eat the intricate gingerbread houses, thus ensuring repeat orders. - The guests admit they send photos of their yearly creations (including a Malibu-themed house and a dog house for Carl the dog) to their friends and family, who are supportive. - The episode includes sponsor reads for Raycon wireless earbuds and Shopify for starting an online business. ![Screenshot at 45:37: Daniel Tosh reacts with mock horror and disbelief while the guests, Susan and Melissa, smile after Tosh reads aloud from his notes that the custom gingerbread house is essentially edible, including the base, which he jokingly suggests is too good to eat.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-45-37.png) **Context:** Daniel Tosh interviews Susan Halme and Melissa Redell, a mother-daughter duo who run a successful bakery in Solvang, California, known for creating highly detailed, custom gingerbread houses, particularly for the holiday season. The conversation delves into the logistics, cost, and humorous aspects of their elaborate edible architecture, contrasting it with Tosh's own family traditions. ## Detailed Analysis Daniel Tosh interviews Susan Halme and Melissa Redell about their successful gingerbread house business, which started as a hobby 40 years ago in Solvang, California. The mother-daughter duo explains that their gingerbread houses, which they now sell, are highly elaborate, featuring custom elements like an edible palm tree base and edible icing glue. Tosh reveals his family’s own gingerbread house is massive (24x22 feet) and costs $3,600, leading him to joke that the guests profit because people don't eat the creations. The guests confirm they now make custom houses for clients year-round and have created themed houses, including one for Tosh's dog, Carl, which featured an edible doghouse. The conversation touches on the difficulty of scaling the business due to the time-intensive, handmade nature of the product, noting they sell out quickly every holiday season. The episode also features sponsor segments for Raycon earbuds and Shopify, with Tosh reading ad copy while holding up a copy of Kristin Hannah's book, 'The Women,' as an example of a large item that would be expensive to ship. ### Gingerbread House Business Details - Started 40 years ago in Solvang, California, after the guests' husband/father was in the restaurant business; they now sell custom edible gingerbread houses, including one for the Tosh family that cost $3,600 and featured a tropical, edible base. ### Construction and Logistics - The houses are made using royal icing as glue; the custom houses are so large they require special shipping arrangements, which is why the cost is high. ### Christmas Traditions - The guests make both traditional and custom gingerbread houses for the holidays, with their most elaborate being 24x22 feet and taking a long time to assemble. ### Guest's Experience - The guests enjoy the business because they get to see people happy, though they sometimes send pictures to influencers who might not always be fully supportive (like when one person implied they should be 'beaten' for not being more traditional). ### Tosh's Reactions - Tosh humorously expresses disbelief at the scale and cost, joking about the cookies being too good to eat and suggesting he doesn't want to eat the dark chocolate icing, contrasting it with the edible gingerbread. ### Sponsor Read - Raycon - Raycon Everyday Earbuds offer active noise cancellation and are available at a discount using code TOSH. ### Sponsor Read - Shopify - Shopify is promoted for helping people turn business ideas into reality with customizable online store templates, offering a $1/month trial using code TOSH. ![Screenshot at 00:00: Establishing shot of Daniel Tosh hosting the Tosh Show podcast with two female guests, Susan Halme and Melissa Redell.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-00-00.png) ![Screenshot at 00:09: 27:Daniel Tosh humorously reacts to the mention of the Solvang Gingerbread House, suggesting it's expensive and possibly too good to eat.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-00-09.png) ![Screenshot at 03:54: Daniel Tosh reads sponsor information for Shopify, while the guests smile in the split screen.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-03-54.png) ![Screenshot at 04:47: Daniel Tosh shows the guests a picture of a gingerbread house designed like a tropical hut with 'The Tosh Family' written on it, eliciting laughs from the guests.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-04-47.png) ![Screenshot at 54:09: Daniel Tosh talks to his dog, Carl, who is sitting at the table, while reading from his notes about the guests' business.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ee52rymz8r8/00-54-09.png)