Gingerbread Capitol gets Speaker inspection

SPOTTED: Speaker Nancy Pelosi getting a sweet sneak peak at the Capitol gingerbread house on Tuesday.

The California Democrat caught a glimpse of some gingerbread-building gurus from cafeteria services contractor Sodexo prepping the sugary replica as she returned from a White House meeting with President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

ITK hears this year’s gingerbread house — which officially went on display near the Memorial Doors by the crypt on the first floor of the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon — is 100 percent plant-based, using chickpea water instead of egg whites and plant-based butter.

Its construction, headed up by its creator, Fred Johnson, took about 55 hours from start to finish and consisted of 73 pounds of various sugars, 65 pounds of flour, and five pounds of cinnamon, among other ingredients.

—Updated at 3:17 p.m.