Bryan’s Favorite Place

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For Bryan McIntosh, the Spring Garden will always hold a special place in his heart. Since beginning his Biltmore career in Food & Beverage operations 12 years ago, he’s spent a great deal of his working life indoors, from managing the Stable Café to his current responsibilities overseeing all food & beverage services in Antler Hill Village as well as operations for The Biltmore Coffee Co. in downtown Asheville.

But the Spring Garden—a secluded space just beyond the Shrub Garden and shaded with towering pines and hemlocks— stands out to him for two reasons.

“It reminds me of a golf fairway, and it’s also the place where my wife and I were married,” he says.

“We met at Biltmore, so it was fitting that we got married here,” Bryan says. “The Spring Garden is an unusual place for a wedding so that made it different and special for us.”

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted may have named it the Spring Garden for two small springs found here. As befits its name, this garden is glorious in spring with vivid blooms of forsythia, spirea, and redbuds contrasting with majestic evergreens. But summer brings its own beauty to this location, with leafy shrubs and trees creating a calm retreat.

For Bryan, the Spring Garden also had another plus going for it—it was one of the few places where he had not managed an event on the estate so it didn’t have “work” connections for him.

“My wife and I looked all over the Asheville area trying to find an outdoor location for our wedding. We just kept coming back to Biltmore; you can’t beat it,” he says.

 

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

Maura’s Favorite Place

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Part of Maura Scarmack’s responsibilities as Senior Catering Sales Manager is to help couples find just the right spot to get married on Biltmore. She also assists with related events such as rehearsal dinners and bridesmaids luncheons, and coordinates wedding details with Biltmore’s food and beverage team. Maura travels around the estate frequently as part of her job, so she’s familiar with many of our outdoor locations.

Her favorite place is the Library Terrace. Why? Well, that’s one spot where her wedding day photography was taken—before Maura even worked for Biltmore! She says their favorite photo from that day was taken from the Terrace and hangs in their living room so they can enjoy it every day.

“On a beautiful day, when the wisteria is blooming and the sun is pouring through the leaves, it’s such a magical place,” she said. “The benches are an ideal place to sit and read a book, just as George Vanderbilt may have done more than 100 years ago.  And the views are, not surprisingly, spectacular.”

More recently, a favorite spot has been the Farmyard at Antler Hill Village. Her young daughter adores visiting the animals there, and Maura says she has just as much fun seeing everything through her child’s eyes!

“These trips to the Farmyard will surely be some of our sweetest Biltmore memories for years to come,” she said.

 

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

A Father’s Love

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George Vanderbilt as a Father

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the unique bond between fathers and children, and here at Biltmore we’re revisiting some of our favorite moments that George Vanderbilt and his daughter, Cornelia, shared over the years.

George was in awe of Cornelia as a baby, as we can see in the main photo. Here he’s holding her on the Loggia a month after her birth in 1900. The tender and bemused look on his face says it all!

As Cornelia grew, she began to travel with George and her mother, Edith, on their many voyages to Europe and around the United States. In the photo above, Cornelia wears a sporty traveling outfit as they sit on the deck of a boat, cozy in blankets, as sea companions.

Back at home at Biltmore, George accompanied Cornelia out to splash in the fountain on the Esplanade one summer day. He remained dressed, as dapper as ever, while Cornelia was ready to swim in a cap and bathrobe.

George was a loving father, and he and Cornelia enjoyed many adventures together. We hope that you and your family have a great Father’s Day.

Celebrate Father’s Day at Biltmore

If you’re in the neighborhood this Sunday, all dads receive free admission on Father’s Day with the purchase of a youth or adult ticket at the Reception & Ticketing Sales Center. See all admission ticket specials.

Julie’s Favorite Place

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Working in Parking & Transportation for the past three years has provided Julie Tatol with a wide ranging view of the estate, particularly when she leads the Legacy of the Land guided tour which goes into areas not usually open to estate guests.

For Julie, the best view on the entire estate can be found at Lone Pine Hill, the hill that rises in front of Biltmore House which is also known as the Vista . She says this expanse—now lush with hemlocks, pines, and rhododendron—is proof of George Vanderbilt’s environmental vision. Footpaths and horse trails are part of this space along with a romantic venue tucked under the trees.

The summit is crowned with a statue of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. One of Julie’s favorite views is looking through the space between Diana’s marble arm and tunic.

“It’s like looking through a keyhole into a magical world. The view sweeps down the Vista to this fairytale castle and the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond,” she says.

In summer, Julie says the pergola that shelters Diana drips wisteria blossoms to match the lavender hues on the peaks at dusk. It’s a sunset venue she highly recommends, and one that is easily reached by a trail starting at Parking Lot A. We invite you to take in the view during your next visit!

Juggling is Part of Chef Hadenfeld’s Normal Workday

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Imagine preparing and serving breakfast, a breakfast buffet, banquets, lunch and afternoon tea to hundreds of guests each day and managing ten employees.  It’s sort of like juggling with many balls in the air, but Ryan Hadenfeld, Demi Chef at the Inn, says bring it on—he loves the challenge and the creativity.

“Creativity in the kitchen involves everyone and I try to foster that environment,” he says. “We like to create things our cooks want to cook, and they like the freedom. It never gets boring.”

Some of the recent creations offered by his cooking staff include a strawberry salad, flat bread made with naan and a red pepper coulee, and an asparagus and crab salad with truffle aioli. Yum!

Ryan is a fairly new Biltmore chef; he’s been here about six months. He started at the Bistro and recently transferred to the Inn. This is his first supervisory role.

“As a cook you work hard, make sure everything is prepped and keep your cool. Once you get into management, you do all that plus you must know human resources and organizational skills, and you have to look ahead. I love my job.”

Ryan occasionally works the omelet station in the mornings. He says everything is prepped and chopped each morning, and then guests pick their ingredients. About a third of the guests want a little bit of everything in their omelet, another substantial percentage only want ham and cheese. But he sees it all—one guest asked for smoked salmon, another for jalapenos, several request egg white omelets.

“It’s very cool to work the omelet station. We get immediate feedback and that’s great. Several guests have told me their omelets were the best they ever had,” he said.

Many of the eggs used for breakfast at the Inn come from heirloom chickens raised on the estate. Ryan says these chickens are raised in a natural setting and the eggs have deeper yokes, are richer and quite delicious.

A typical day for Ryan means he checks in with all his staff, making sure they have what they need. He creates special dishes and new menus depending on what’s fresh. He and his staff make their own sauces and pickles, cheese puffs, pate and butcher salmon and beef.

“My job is the sum of all the little parts—I make sure everyone does their job and I get whatever falls between the cracks,” says Ryan. “One day we were slammed at lunch and someone said they needed help checking on the tables, so I walked out and did that. It’s not what I normally do but we’re all a team here.”

The Never-Ending World of Turf Maintenance

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Left to right: Curtis Horn (Grounds Maintenance Manager), Michael Faulhaber (Groundskeeper), Justin Holmes (Groundskeeper), Dwayne Schmidt (Turf Crew Leader), Joel Cornes (Groundskeeper), Bob Brett (Groundskeeper), Tim Norton (Groundskeeper), Dwayne Schmidt (Crew Leader)

There’s a large part of Biltmore’s landscape that is often overlooked. You could say it gets walked all over. It’s the grass—and there’s a lot of it when you consider the lawns around Biltmore House, the gardens, along roadsides, and everywhere else.

Keeping all that grass mowed and trimmed is the responsibility of Dwayne Schmidt, Crew Leader, and his six-member Turf Management team.

“Our team mows 135–140 acres each week, and some areas are mowed twice a week,” Dwayne said. “We mow every month but January, using riding and push mowers, and we do hand edging in the Rose Garden.”

He compares his team to a NASCAR pit crew since they must work well together at a fast pace. Their day can start as early as 6:30 a.m. so they can mow and get out fast before guests arrive.

Turf management at Biltmore is a science similar to what world-class golf courses use. The team fertilizes, aerates in spring and fall, maintains irrigation systems, overseeds, blows leaves, trims, and removes snow quickly to keep everything immaculate.

Dwayne has worked three years with Biltmore, but his team has close to 100 years of experience. He is a certified turf grass professional and was recently appointed as one of 12 members to the Turf Grass Council of North Carolina. Several other crew members are in the process of earning the Turf Grass certification that includes classroom work and a challenging test. The team regularly participates in continuing education, and recently earned a Biltmore Environmental Excellence Award for rerouting their mowing operations to save gas and energy.

The Front Lawn is Dwayne’s favorite place; he knows that more than a million people see it each year and it is the frame for Biltmore House, carefully tended and mowed twice weekly. Except for four days prior to Easter—then they let the grass grow longer so it’s easier to hide eggs for the popular Easter Egg Hunts.

“Biltmore is an awesome place, and I am proud of the work we do here,” said Dwayne. “When you have people from all over the world admiring your work, how can you not be proud?”

The Lovely Azaleas

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Strolling through our 15-acre Azalea Garden in May is a rite of spring, with thousands of bright blossoms lining the stone stairs and masses of vivid flowers cascading throughout the area. In fact, we expect peak azalea color this week.

We have Chauncey Beadle to thank for all of that gorgeous color. Chauncey, a Canadian horticulturalist hired in 1890 by Frederick Law Olmsted for his encyclopedic knowledge of plants, served as estate superintendent from 1909 until his death in 1950.

“Beadle loved all plants, but he had a special fondness for native deciduous azaleas,” said Bill Alexander, Landscape & Forest Historian. “He and two close friends became known as ‘the azalea hunters’ collecting virtually every form and color variation.”

Beadle and his colleagues kept detailed notes about their forays, writing down when and where they collected plants on travels throughout the Southeast. Native azaleas were Beadle’s passion, and he called them the finest American shrubs.

In 1940, he gave his entire collection of azaleas (which he fondly referred to as “his children”) to Biltmore, planting them in the valley below the Conservatory known as the Glen. Edith Vanderbilt changed the garden’s name to the Azalea Garden to honor Beadle and his lifelong work on his 50th anniversary with Biltmore.

Today, gardeners Bob Smart and Charles Harris, members of the estate’s Historic Gardens landscaping crew, are responsible for maintaining Beadle’s legacy and the never-ending upkeep of the Azalea Garden.

“Chauncey Beadle planted several thousand azaleas originally,” said Bob. “We try to keep as many old plants as possible, replacing them when needed with old types and species, but we also bring in new ones to keep the garden thriving.”

Last year, they replanted several hundred azaleas—mostly evergreens—lining the stone stairs at the Azalea Garden’s entrance and added nearly 400 more in the rest of the garden. Charles explains that the eye-catching evergreen varieties have heavier, more prolific blooms and some even re-bloom. They also planted many native deciduous azaleas that display delicate orange, yellow and pink flowers in late spring.

Not all their time is spent planting; they devote hours researching and collecting additional azaleas to keep the garden beautiful. They find plants at trade shows, through the North Carolina Nursery Notes bi-monthly magazine, nurseries, and growers who visit here.

“Sometimes growers we know will visit the garden and suggest a particular addition,” said Charles. “They recognize that it’s an honor to have plants here.”

 

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

A Unique Pair of Hounds

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Dogs are often called “man’s best friend,” and with good reason. Dogs are always happy to see you, glad to spend time with you, and eager to be by your side.

Our partner Unique Stone has captured the faithful spirit of the dog with a lifelike interpretation of canine devotion in their Biltmore Stoneybrook Hounds Collection. Each realistic hound statue features the soulful expressions and stance of man’s best friend at his finest. 

  • Stoneybrook Hound with Bird waits attentively for the praise that accompanies his fine birding and retrieval skills (above, left) 
  • Stoneybrook Hound with Collar is relaxed, caught in a playful moment with his collar between his front paws (above, right)

Each Stoneybrook Hound statue is approximately 35 inches in height and weighs around 300 pounds. Place this sturdy pair of sentinels at the entrance to your home or property, or use them to highlight your lawn, patio, or garden. (Each hound sold separately.) Unique Stone creates all their statuary with a subtle finish that gives an aged and weathered appearance.

Find the Stoneybrook Hounds here.

Biltmore’s Canine History

The Vanderbilts had many pets including a Borzoi and Cedric, a smooth-coated Saint Bernard whose likeness graces Cedric’s Tavern today. George Vanderbilt also maintained a kennel of Collies before his death in 1914, and Cornelia Vanderbilt developed a kennel of Llewellin Setters in 1921.

After Cornelia married the Honorable John Amherst Francis Cecil in 1925, the Biltmore Kennels invested in the Saluki Gazelle Hound—a sight hound known for its beauty, speed, and endurance. After the Biltmore Kennels closed, John and Cornelia kept one Saluki named Haffief as a pet.

The Stoneybrook Hounds resemble the grace and style of this handsome hound who made America’s largest home his home, as well.

It's All About the Pampering

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women gathering herbs with handsWhen you stay at a four-star inn known for its legendary hospitality, you expect every aspect of your stay to be superb. The spa at our inn lives up to that reputation, and one huge reason is Judy Cody, one of our nail technicians.

 Judy’s been giving manicures and pedicures for years, and she’s been a nail technician at the spa for three years.  She’s an expert at what she does, and she couples that expertise with a true desire to be of service.

“I know that many of our guests are only here one time, so I try extra hard to give them the best experience they’ve ever had,” she said. “I love helping people, making them feel special and pretty.”

Judy says when guests arrive she makes sure they are comfortable, offering hot and cold drinks—guests can even sip a glass of wine delivered from the bar.

She encourages her clients to pick a nail polish if they want before she begins either a manicure or pedicure. Judy notes the spa only uses vegan polish; it’s all organic and natural.

For a pedicure she begins by asking about her guests’ feet to discover anything she should know about before the pampering begins. Judy cuts toenails, removes calluses and applies lotion to massage not just the feet but everything from the knee down. After the massage both feet are placed in warm booties. Guests can also take advantage of hot stone massage and/or paraffin on the feet.

“I want each guest to relax and feel pampered, so I take my time,” she says. “And all our manicures and pedicures are a full 50 minutes.”

Guests who receive a manicure get a similar treatment, including using a scrub that she massages into the hand, helping remove dead skin. After this she wraps steam towels from the elbow down. An arm and hand massage with lotion follows, then cleans the nails with acetone and adds polish as requested.

While the majority of her clients are women, 20 to 30 percent are men. She even provides service to children under 16 with parental permission. She fondly remembers doing a manicure for a 4-year old girl, noting the child really wanted to be girly!

She knows that many men feel hesitant to receive manicures or pedicures so she goes the extra mile to make them feel comfortable. One man who loved pedicures wouldn’t get them in his hometown because he didn’t want to “get caught,” but he thoroughly enjoyed getting one at the spa. Another man came in for a pedicure because his wife made the appointment—he told Judy his wife said his toenails were poking her in bed and needed to be cut!

An Asheville native, Judy knows the area intimately. She always asks guests about their visit, recommends places both on and off the estate, and makes sure they know about the inn’s concierge, who is a wealth of information. It’s all part of her desire to provide the best customer service all the time.

“I love what I do, and I think God gave me a big heart so I could love people,” she reflected.

The Details Matter

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Kelly Brown loves cleaning. She says people may think that’s crazy, but it’s her thing. As one of 26 room attendants at the Inn, she makes sure her 12 rooms (549-565) are cleaned from top to bottom daily, and that’s not a figure of speech! From dusting in those hard-to-reach high places to working on her hands and knees cleaning the bathroom floor, she gets the job done exactly as you would expect.

“When I walk out of a room, it’s a room I would stay in,” she says. “I make sure of it.”

A self-inspect attendant, Kelly checks her own work. Kelly earned this designation after several months of earning a score of 90 or above on inspect sheets the Inn uses to assure quality. Kelly must maintain that rating to keep her self-inspect designation, but she says so far, so good. She is exactly where she wants to be.

“I love working where I am. All the employees are great; it really feels like family,” she says. “But it’s also a hard job physically, in my opinion it’s the hardest job at the Inn.”

Kelly squats dozens of times each day making beds, cleaning bathrooms and picking up – she jokes her best friend is her heating pad. And sometimes there’s a time crunch to get it all done, depending on when guests leave their room. Each attendant has 12 rooms to clean between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“We never want to disturb our guests, so sometimes it’s 10 a.m. or so before we can get into a room. When that happens it can be challenging to finish in time,” she explains.

And yes, Kelly does make beds every day. She keeps bedding tucked in using the hospital-corners technique and makes sure each bed is finished with the sheet folded over the duvet at the top.

Kelly makes it her business to know the names of guests staying in her rooms and she speaks to them by name. She always asks about their stay and if they need anything, continuing Biltmore’s signature hospitality.

“Hospitality is the culture and legacy of Biltmore, and I’m proud to continue that tradition. It’s wonderful to work in a place where I can see Biltmore House from some of my rooms, and know I am part of this.”

About the photo

Kelly Brown inspects her work while putting the finishing touches on a guest bed at the Inn.