Tosh Show – My Gingerbread House Bakers: Susan Halme and Melissa Redell

Podcast Host: Daniel Tosh
Guests: Susan Halme & Melissa Redell (Solvang Bakery)
Episode Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This festive episode centers on mother-daughter team Susan Halme and Melissa Redell, owners of the famed Solvang Bakery in California. Daniel Tosh dives into the world of extravagant gingerbread houses, Christmas traditions, running a family business, and the realities (and absurdities) of baking under pressure. Blending Tosh's signature irreverence with genuine curiosity, the conversation moves from lighthearted roasting to deep-dives into the bakery's 40-year journey and reputation as America’s gingerbread house royalty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Announcements and Banter

• [02:10] Daniel Tosh announces the Tosh Show Patreon, promising unedited interviews, outtakes, and bonus content for $5 a month.

  “You cannot cancel it once you sign up. Not only can you not cancel, but it gets passed on to future generations.” – Daniel ([05:11])

• Eddie Gosling (co-host) plugs his upcoming animated Christmas musical and shares playful banter with Daniel about creative holiday projects and Malibu “mom gossip” songs.

2. Introducing the Guests: Building a Gingerbread Empire

• [14:21] Daniel welcomes Susan and Melissa, jokingly asking, “How long have you two been married? Oh, mother, daughter.”
• Susan started Solvang Bakery in 1981 with no business background, taking over as a last-minute adventure during a busy summer in Solvang.

  “I was just thrown into it...I had never had a business. I was baking my own bread...and I was just thrown into it.” – Susan ([20:34])

3. Family, Solvang, and Scandinavian Rivalry

• Susan and Melissa talk about relocating for family (“Dream to have the kids come back,” Susan [14:44]), and how the bakery evolved from a homemaker's hobby to a thriving business.
• Their family is Finnish, not Danish, living in Solvang, a Danish-themed town:

  “Are you at odds with the community?” – Daniel
  “No, everybody’s happy to have us there...You have to keep it quiet.” – Susan ([17:54]-[18:20])

4. Bakery Operations and Gingerbread Boom

• Full-service bakery with Danish butter cookies as a hallmark.
• Gingerbread houses are the mainstay—so popular they outpaced bread and cake sales:

  “It kind of pays for the whole everything all year.” – Melissa ([22:07])

• They stopped wholesale and wedding cakes during “gingerbread season,” which starts October 15th and runs through Christmas.

5. Making and Selling Gingerbread Houses

• All houses hand-assembled—clients can decorate or buy finished. Kits start at $129, “estates” go up to $3,600. Some manors reach 2 feet wide and up to 16 inches high ([25:56]).
• 60+ seasonal employees, most return annually.

  “We're working pretty much 24 hours a day at that time of year. Crazy.” – Melissa ([24:44])

• Annual production maxes out around 4,000 gingerbread houses, with orders beginning as early as July.

6. Customization, Shipping, and Celebrity Clients

• Custom homes: Up to one per year, including scaled Texas mansions hand-delivered due to fragility.
• Shipping costs: Overnight is $500–$1,000 due to delicacy.
• Longevity: “It's like a centerpiece,” says Melissa; edible up to two months, but most serve as display pieces ([29:05]).
• Famous fans:

  “Kelly Ripa...Neil Patrick Harris...the Kardashians have been really nice about posting about us.” – Melissa ([36:03])

  • Most celebrities pay full price, though Kelly Ripa gets a family house as a gift.

7. Inside the Gingerbread Workshop

• Candy selection is meticulous—gumdrops don’t bleed, and gingerbread for the houses needs to be sturdy.
• Decor ranges from classic snowy cottages to Malibu beaches (complete with custom details).
• They have made occasional specialty houses: Airstreams, sports logos, Palm Springs mid-century, and even dog houses (in response to dogs eating the regular ones).
• Refuse to make “mature content” or bachelorette cakes:

  “All the penis stuff is too much. We don't want a part of it in our kitchen.” – Melissa ([33:24])

• Proudly inclusive—would sell to anyone, even referencing past wedding cake controversies:

  “Will you sell a gingerbread house to a gay married couple?” – Daniel
  “Of course.” – Susan ([33:52])

8. Life in Solvang and Running a Small-Town Business

• Residents proud of their “real” friendliness; tourist traffic is manageable.
• Five bakeries coexist in town; competition is collegial, not cutthroat.
• Yelp reviews aren’t trusted, but they use feedback constructively.

9. Family Legacy and Future

• Next-gen succession is uncertain; none of the kids have committed to carrying on the gingerbread empire.
• Possible daughter-in-law-in-waiting: “Our son’s marrying a baker, and she’s making her own cookies.” – Melissa ([38:49])

10. Gingerbread Gifting & Tosh’s Mother

• Daniel muses about sending half-houses to his mother, who famously eschews clutter:

  “Now the idea of sending them a gingerbread every year and watching my mom saw it in half...is just the greatest thing I could do.” ([37:19])

• Tosh later calls his mom; she’s delighted with her house but admits: “I’m not big on eating gingerbread.” – Carol, Daniel’s Mom ([52:58])

11. Gift Exchange & Closing Festivities

• Daniel showers the guests with miscellaneous house gifts (17: gifts segment), joking about their randomness:

  “This is an orchid...I just walk around the morning of and I just start grabbing stuff.” – Daniel ([43:13])

• The guests bring Daniel a personalized Malibu-themed gingerbread house, complete with family, pig, and chickens:

  “This is like the most—the prettiest thing I've ever had.” – Daniel ([48:59])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On gingerbread pricing:

  “What's the price range? What's the cheapest gingerbread house we can get to? The most expensive?” – Daniel ([25:41])
  “The kits start, like $129, and the estate is $3,600.” – Melissa ([25:47])

• On holiday busyness:

  “We’re working pretty much 24 hours a day at that time of year. Crazy.” – Melissa ([24:44])

• On career satisfaction:

  “Which was more fulfilling, being a stay at home mother or a thriving business?” – Daniel ([37:33])
  “I like being home with the children and I was perfectly happy doing that.” – Susan ([37:38])

• On inclusivity:

  “Will you sell a gingerbread house to a gay married couple?” – Daniel ([33:52])
  “Of course.” – Susan ([33:53])

• On family legacy:

  “Who is next in line to run the ginberbread empire? Is there a game of succession going on in your family?” – Daniel ([38:32])

• Gift exchange, topped with signature Tosh self-deprecation:

  “This is like the most—the prettiest thing I've ever had.” – Daniel, upon receiving the Malibu gingerbread ([48:59])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:10-05:31] – Patreon announcement & holiday music banter
• [14:21-18:20] – Introduction to Susan & Melissa; Solvang and Scandinavian culture
• [20:23-24:44] – Origins of Solvang Bakery and peak gingerbread season
• [25:41-27:46] – Gingerbread house pricing, designs, and shipping challenges
• [33:00-34:01] – Boundaries for custom designs and social issues
• [35:04-36:26] – Celebrity shout-outs (Kelly Ripa, Kardashians)
• [37:19-39:01] – Daniel ponders gifting and family reactions
• [43:13-46:45] – Tosh’s idiosyncratic gift exchange
• [47:08-50:30] – Malibu house reveal and edible details
• [52:11-53:18] – Tosh calls his mom about the gingerbread house
• [54:54-56:39] – Post-show jokes/voicemails (not content-focused, but notable for Tosh’s tone)

Conclusion & Takeaways

This heartwarming (and hilarious) holiday episode showcases the craftsmanship, legacy, and quirks of small-town, family-run American business. Susan and Melissa offer an inside look at their gingerbread operation, complete with obsessive attention to detail (fresh gumdrops only), celebrity anecdotes, and honest talk about seasonal chaos. Daniel Tosh’s comedic probing leads to both playful and poignant revelations, making this a must-listen for anyone looking for stories sweeter than the houses themselves.

If you crave more behind-the-scenes gingerbread action—or just want to see Daniel’s Malibu house in edible form—head to the Solvang Bakery or support their continued perfectionism on Instagram. And as Tosh coins it, may we all avoid the “gingerbread season crunch!”