I am working with a caterer and I supply her cakes/cookies for weddings and other events. In 2 weeks we are catering an outdoor event at an arboriteum - it is an auction for exotic trees that will then be donated back to the arboriteum to be planted. The theme of the decor is very muted colors, burlap covered tables, lots of greenery, rustic black wire baskets that hold the food. My job is to "wow" the crowd with a food sculpture - the first thing they will see when they approach the auction site. Basically we have decided I would make a tree (probably 3-4 feet in height) that would look rustic and gnarly (think old oak trees) - the tree can be non-edible...I'll probably make it with heavy duty wire with something edible over it to cover the wire and make it appear to be entirely edible....but then we want something on it that the guests can remove and eat...does anyone have any ideas...cookies? cake? bars? How to attach it? I have some ideas but nothing that I love.....Anyone? Thanks in advance!

Maybe the leaves could be cookies?

Maybe an aweful lot of RCT for the trunk ( it would give it great texture), limbs branching out into cake boards with leaf cakes, fondant acorns?

yeah and the acorns could be buckeyes....chocolate and peanut butter mmmm!

Don't know what your budget is, but I used modeling chocolate to make the tree from my Tinkerbell tree house, and it worked really great. I was able to sculpt the tree and use different colors to bring out the texture... Laughing...you could then pull off some "bark" an eat it, or maybe some pinecones... Can we say Marlin Perkins... Cookies would be a for sure to "pick"...birds, leaves, acorns, squirrels, etc.