By CHARIS LEE, Hillsborough High

Gingerbread artists of all ages flocked to historic Plant Hall at the University of Tampa on Sunday to build houses to benefit the Red Cross at its annual holiday fundraiser. Even if you had been blindfolded, your nose would have known where you were.

The scents of chocolate, sweet candies, spices and big bowls full of frosting wafted through the ballroom as contestants readied their constructions. Of course, the rainbow scene was a feast for the eyes, too, with table seas of candy building materials lapping the shores of gingerbread houses.

The event was also a feast for the taste buds. About 100 builders sifted through the piles for just the right peppermint roof tile or gumdrop Christmas light, many popping samples into their mouths as they planted other specimens onto the thick frosting.