Cornelia Vanderbilt’s Wedding: It’s All in the Details

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Many people say that the success of an elaborate event lies in the details. Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding to the Hon. John F. A. Cecil on April 29, 1924 was no exception—from photographers to invitations to accommodations, many hands insured that all was perfect for the big day.

According to Lori Garst, Biltmore Curator, society columns were aflutter as soon as rumors began about the engagement of John Cecil to Cornelia. Letters from the Washington Times and other inquirers arrived at Biltmore asking if the engagement rumor was indeed true. No information was officially released by Edith Vanderbilt until the decision was made as to what photographer would capture the moments of the wedding and take the official bridal portrait for the newspapers.

An Official Announcement

A formal announcement was made at a dinner hosted by Mrs. Vanderbilt at Biltmore on March 8, 1924. After much conversation, Mrs. Vanderbilt awarded two professional photographers from Washington, D.C. the job. Underwood and Underwood photographed the actual wedding, while Harris Ewing captured incidental photographs including the social whirl which occurred the week prior to the wedding.

Cornelia Vanerbilt's Wedding Invitations
Invitation to Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding (left); invitation to the wedding reception (right)

Wedding invitations were one of the first details to secure. While famous New York jewelers, such as Cartier, wrote offering to print the wedding invitations, Adolph & Dungan engravers of Louisville designed the wedding invitations, and Inland Press of Asheville printed them. There were two separate invitations to the occasion. Five hundred people received an invitation to the ceremony at All Souls Church at 12 noon and the reception immediately following at Biltmore House. Another 2,500 received a separate invitation to attend only the wedding reception at 12:30 p.m.

Arrangements & Accommodations

With guests arriving from across the globe, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s secretary, William Ashby, had the job of making travel arrangements to Biltmore and arranging accommodations for the wedding party, close family, and friends. Most guests stayed at the Grove Park Inn, Biltmore Country Club, and Kenilworth Inn. However, 43 guests including members of the wedding party stayed in Biltmore House. Ashby sent extensive instructions for cleaning and furnishing Biltmore House to Mrs. Donohue, the head housekeeper, as early as March 15.

Rooms were updated with new wallpaper and paint, iron beds and mattresses were ordered for the visiting guests’ staff, and all sheets were washed and ironed. The bride’s wedding party stayed in the Oak Sitting Room and Mr. Vanderbilt’s Room, while the maid of honor, Rachel “Bunchy” Strong, stayed with Cornelia in her room. The groomsmen stayed at the Biltmore Forest Country Club which opened just two years prior.

Edith Vanderbilt escorting her daughter Cornelia Vanderbilt for Cornelia's wedding
Edith Vanderbilt escorting her daughter Cornelia into All Souls’ Church for Cornelia’s wedding

Other house guests included the bride’s cousins Mr. and Mrs. John Nicholas Brown, the groom’s father Lord William Cecil, and several of Mr. Vanderbilt’s sisters. Meticulous notes were kept by Mr. Ashby documenting when guests arrived, departed, and what room they stayed in Biltmore House.

No Detail Overlooked

He also kept lists of last minute specifics to make sure nothing was forgotten. His records included seating charts for the church, train reservations for guests’ departures including their preferred train accommodations, wedding gifts and addresses, and cars to be provided for the guests’ convenience. As a final detail, Mr. Ashby secured the assistance of the Biltmore Fire Department to sprinkle the streets of Biltmore with water to keep the dust down.

The Asheville Citizen published extensive accounts of the wedding for two days. While many of the details of the wedding ceremony are found in these articles, the lists and correspondence found in Biltmore’s archives give us a true understanding of the specific arrangements made to insure that Biltmore’s only bride had a perfect day.

Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil and the Honorable John F.A. Cecil as they left All Souls Church
The Honorable and Mrs. John F.A. Cecil as they left All Souls Church

The First Bride of Biltmore

A poem titled “The First Bride of Biltmore,” written by Mrs. Vanderbilt’s sister, Pauline Merrill, painted a beautiful picture of Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding day on April 29, 1924.

The sun rose clear and beautiful from the hills that surrounded Biltmore.
All the world seemed happy on that day.
The daughter of the house was to be married.
The beautiful Cornelia who knew all the mountain people;
The Cornelia who loved the house and grounds;
The Cornelia who was loved by all.
The wedding bells pealed joyfully from the belfry of the little old church.
The tenants were crowding to the gate to behold their beloved mistress.
The guests crowded into the church.
The musicians played his best of the little organ.
Finally the bride entered the church escorted by eight bridesmaids and leaning on the arm of her widowed mother.
She looked more beautiful than ever before.
John Cecil, her bridegroom, had reason to smile proudly on his pretty Cornelia.
The marriage service was gone through with, and when Cornelia walked out, with a radiant smile on her face, the children streamed flowers at her feet.
Then they went back to the house.
The enormous rooms were fuller than ever before as the crowd surged forward to congratulate the first bride of Biltmore House.
Her English husband shook hands with a proud smile.
But, at last, it was over and the setting sun shone rosily over the young couple as they started on their honeymoon.

The Presence of a President

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Biltmore has had the privilege to welcome many notable people through this grand Entrance Hall, but the presence of a president has always been a rare honor.  In recognition of Presidents’ Day, we are remembering those special guests.

President George Washington could not have visited Biltmore in person, but we were honored to serve as a temporary home for his well-known portrait.  The painting was stored here by the National Gallery of Art during World War II.  The unfinished Music Room on the first floor of Biltmore House was refitted with a steel door, bars on the windows, and other protective measures outlined by the gallery staff. On January 8, 1942, 62 paintings (including the portrait of George Washington) and 17 sculptures arrived in Asheville under heavy guard.

The iconic portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart, an 18th century America’s master portrait artist. In his five-decade career, he produced well over 1100 pictures. Of these portraits, nearly one-tenth are images of George Washington, to whom he was introduced by their mutual friend Chief Justice John Jay. It is interesting to note that each of Stuart’s portraits of Washington, about 100 in all, is based on one of three life portraits of the president.  Happy Birthday Mr. President.

President William McKinley, Jr. visited Biltmore Estate on June 14, 1897.  George Vanderbilt was in Europe at the time and Estate Superintendent Charles McNamee was in London, so Butler Walter Harvey gave President McKinley and his entourage a tour of Biltmore House.

President Theodore Roosevelt visited Biltmore Estate on September 9, 1902.  President Roosevelt met Dr. Carl Schenck, the German forester Mr. Vanderbilt had hired to oversee the Biltmore forestry operation.  He also took a drive across the estate, toured the gardens, and toured the Main Dairy Barn where our Winery is now located.

President Jimmy Carter attended a fundraising dinner on September 22, 1978 at the Deerpark pavilion on Biltmore Estate and spoke to a crowd of approximately 300 guests.

Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan visited Biltmore in early May 1980 as part of a multi-city visit to North Carolina.  Rick King, former vice president of Biltmore House, gave Reagan and his wife Nancy a tour of the home.  Reagan went on to win the presidential election in November 1980.

President and Mrs. Barack Obama visited on April 24, 2010 while on a trip to Asheville and were greeted by the Cecil family for a tour of Biltmore House.

Vanderbilt Christmas traditions

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To learn more about Vanderbilt Christmas traditions, we searched Biltmore’s archives for letters and documents detailing the lives of George and Edith Vanderbilt, their daughter, Cornelia, and the many friends and family members who visited them during the holidays.

Read on for some of the Vanderbilts’ yuletide traditions, from family gatherings to the special foods they enjoyed during the festive season.

How did Vanderbilt Christmas traditions begin?

Archival photo of the Vanderbilt Christmas celebration in 1901. The woman is believed to be Elizabeth “Bessie” Beers-Curtis de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Talleyrand, sitting with an unidentified man in the Tapestry Gallery of Biltmore House.
The only photo in the Biltmore collection from the Vanderbilts’ 1901 Christmas celebration. The woman is believed to be Elizabeth “Bessie” Beers-Curtis de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Talleyrand, an American heiress who married into the French aristocracy. The man is unidentified.

Although George Vanderbilt moved into Biltmore House in October 1895, the house did not officially open to guests until Christmas Eve of that year. Great efforts were made to ensure all (or most!) would be ready by this special day. Since Mr. Vanderbilt was still a bachelor during the first Biltmore Christmas, his mother Maria Louisa presided as hostess. 

Correspondence between Mr. Vanderbilt and his staff indicates that planning was intensive and no detail was left unattended. Managers debated which nearby county had the best holly and the most desirable mistletoe, while staff scouted for the perfect candidate for the Banquet Hall Christmas tree.

The Banquet Hall Tree: A Christmas at Biltmore Tradition
The Banquet Hall Christmas Tree is a favorite holiday tradition

Mr. Chauncey Beadle, estate horticulturalist, wrote estate manager, Mr. Charles McNamee:

“I quite agree with you that we should have a very large tree for this occasion; in fact, I think a twenty foot tree in that large Banquet Hall would be rather dwarfed.”

When Mr. Vanderbilt’s mother, several of his brothers and sisters and their spouses, and assorted nieces and nephews arrived, they were greeted in the Banquet Hall by a splendidly tall tree laden with gifts for estate workers.  At the foot of the tree was a table piled high with family gifts. Because of this, the Banquet Hall has always been the focal point for Christmas celebrations in Biltmore House.  

A Vanderbilt family gathering

The family and guests gathered around the 40-foot Banquet Hall table for elaborate dinners served both evenings. Mr. Vanderbilt’s niece Gertrude kept a series of Dinner Books in which she recorded the seating arrangements of all of the parties and dinners she attended as a young woman, and she was one of the guests at the first Vanderbilt Christmas dinner in Biltmore House.

Vanderbilt Christmas seating chart drawn by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1895
A detailed seating chart of the first Christmas dinner at Biltmore House from the 1895 Dinner Book kept by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Photo courtesy of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Whitney Museum of American Art, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers. Gift of Flora Miller Irving.

Gertrude kept two Dinner Books in 1895, and the Christmas meal at Biltmore House was the 193rd formal dinner that she attended that year. In her diagram of the dinner, she listed 27 Vanderbilt family members. It was said to be the largest gathering of the family since the death of George’s father, William Henry Vanderbilt, in 1885.

In addition to the grand meals and festive décor, stockings hung on mantles, plum puddings and mince pies were served, and George’s mother read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to the children. It must have been a grand time—one article even stated that the Vanderbilt family exchanged gilded and jeweled Christmas cards!

Christmas meals in Biltmore House, 1904

Costumed mannequin in the Main Kitchen of Biltmore House
Imagine Biltmore House’s main kitchen abuzz with action in preparation for hosting the first Christmas celebration.

The 1904 Menu Book, kept by cook Esther Anderson, contains luncheon and dinner menus for Christmas Day and New Years Day. Surprisingly, they are not the most elaborate meals included in the book. The 1904 Christmas Day luncheon featured a fairly light menu that began with clear broth, followed by broiled oysters.

The Christmas Day luncheon entrée consisted of venison steak (very likely from the estate deer herd), served with string beans, potatoes and cauliflower. The salad course consisted of roast partridge and salad. Luncheon dessert consisted of apple tart, which is not surprising, since the estate orchards produced more than 20 varieties of apples. Coffee followed dessert and served as a separate course.

Christmas dinner began with Consommé Royale, a clear chicken broth thickened with tapioca and served with a savory garnish made from bullion, egg and herbs, poached in buttered molds, floating in the broth. A fish course of broiled Spanish mackerel accompanied by cucumber salad came next. 

The main course featured roast turkey and cranberries, and was served with potatoes, peas, and celery. The Vanderbilts ate turkey in one form or another on average every three days. Mrs. Doris Johnson, whose daughter-in-law, Ellen, was a Biltmore House cook at the turn of the century, recalled that turkey and dressing were Mr. Vanderbilt’s favorite of all the things Ellen cooked, and it is very likely that turkey was indeed one of Mr. Vanderbilt’s favorite foods. A salad of Virginia ham and spinach followed. Christmas dessert consisted of plum pudding, ice cream, and cake.

New Year’s Eve meals

The New Year’s Eve luncheon began with fish cutlets, followed by braised rabbits and lamb chops served with potatoes, beets, and stuffed tomatoes. Chicken salad followed, and dessert consisted of apple tapioca pudding, then coffee. New Year’s Eve dinner began with either purée of chickens or consommé, followed by the fish course consisting of mousse of bass. The mousse was followed by an entrée of mushroom patties, and a relevé consisting of filets of beef with potatoes, spinach, and baked macaroni. Roast partridge accompanied the salad. 

New Year’s Eve dessert was Fanchonette, an “old-fashioned French cake, somewhat like a pie made with rough puff pastry and a pastry cream filling baked in a slow oven. After cooling, it is piped with meringue, sprinkled with sugar and baked until brown.” Coffee followed dessert, and midnight toasts no doubt welcomed the New Year!

Behind the scenes: Second Floor Living Hall

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A dramatic restoration of Second Floor Living Hall was completed in 2013, restoring the room’s appearance to the era in which when George Vanderbilt opened Biltmore House in 1895.

For some years, the Second Floor Living Hall was used as an exhibition space; prior to that, it was interpreted as a sitting area. An early 1950s photo offered a glimpse of the original furnishings of this space—gilded sconces, paintings and a suite of oversized Baroque furniture placed around the perimeter of the room. Additional research led curators to determine that the room’s primary function was intended as a picture gallery and formal hallway.

Restoring Second Floor Living Hall

Long view of Second Floor Living Hall

“We’re constantly striving to interpret the house authentically as it appeared during the Vanderbilts’ time,” said Darren Poupore, Chief Curator.

Bringing the room back to its original state includes conserving all the furnishings, recreating elaborate window treatments, and making structural changes.

Detail on Cassone (marriage chest) in Second Floor Living Hall in Biltmore House
Detail on Cassone (marriage chest) in Second Floor Living Hall in Biltmore House

“We discovered that the original upholstery was a gauffraged fabric—a rich wool velvet with a pattern pressed into it—in a striking gold color,” said Darren. “We had it reproduced in France by Prelle, the same company that made many of our historic fabrics for the Louis XV Suite project.”

Green velvet draperies adorn windows featuring exact reproductions of four pelmets (or valances). For two years, local textile artist Heather Allen Swarttouw painstakingly embroidered and appliquéd each pelmet to match the originals.

Returning portraits to their original locations

Portraits of Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted by John Singer Sargent were returned to Second Floor Living Hall
Portraits of Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted by John Singer Sargent displayed in Second Floor Living Hall

As appropriate for such a prominent space, several notable paintings were returned to their original locations. John Singer Sargent’s portraits of Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted and Anders Zorn’s painting The Waltz, which were temporarily displayed in the Salon, were once again placed where George Vanderbilt intended. The restoration was completed and Second Floor Living Hall re-opened September 1, 2013.

Salon restoration

The Salon of Biltmore House
The Salon after restoration.

Relocating the paintings from the Salon led to its reinterpretation, centered on the fact that the Salon was one of the few first floor rooms not completed during Vanderbilt’s lifetime.

“Draperies were placed in the archways to prevent the Vanderbilts’ guests from seeing inside the room,” Darren said. “It had bare brick walls, a rough subfloor and a structural tiled ceiling without its finished treatment. In the 1920s, Edith Vanderbilt turned it into a Turkish sitting room, but in 1930 everything except the 1920s ceiling treatment was removed and it became a space to display special objects.”

Today’s guests can admire two paintings by Impressionist artist Claude Monet that are now displayed in the Salon. One is a landscape entitled Strada Romana à Bordighera from 1884; the other is a seascape entitled Belle-Île, le chenal de Port-Goulphar from 1886.

Plan your Biltmore visit today

Detail on Cassone (marriage chest) in Second Floor Living Hall in Biltmore House
Discover fascinating details like this carved face on the cassone (marriage chest) in Second Floor Living Hall during your next Biltmore visit!

Experience Biltmore House, as magnificent today as it was more than a century ago. Your self-guided house visit spans three floors and the basement of the luxurious family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. Explore the stories of the Vanderbilt family, their guests, and employees through displays of vintage clothing, accessories, art, furniture, and more.

Finding Summer Beauty in the Italian Garden

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If you’re visiting Biltmore soon, make a beeline for the Italian Garden. Located adjacent to Biltmore House, this formal garden is in its prime late summer.

View of the Italian Garden and Biltmore House
Filled with numerous varieties of exotic water lilies, tropical bananas, papyrus, and koi fish, the Italian Garden is a sight to behold.

Magical Lilies

Biltmore gardeners Chuck Cissell and Steven Ayers have been hard at work all year ensuring all the elements are in place for spectacular summer blooms. The Italian Garden gets better every year. This year, it is over the top again and this is probably the best year yet for seeing our water lilies.

All three pools feature different water lilies including hardy and tropical varieties. We’re especially fond of our tropical water lilies that open up in the evening and bloom until mid-morning. If you’re an early morning guest or an overnight guest, sneak down to the Italian Garden to enjoy this unique display.

Water lilies in the pools of Biltmore's Italian Garden
Many guests don’t realize that lily blooms only last for three days. Many refer to the bloom process as being “sort of magical.”

The blooms from the tropical lilies sit above the water and feature bright white, pink, red and even blue blossoms. It’s a marvelous sight to see and just another amazing example of nature’s beauty.

If you miss the tropical night blooms, don’t worry. We have planted different varieties, so guests visiting during the day can still enjoy flowers from day blooming tropical and hardy lilies as well. Look for the blooms through the first cold snap, which can be as early as September or as late as October.

Full view of flowers blooming at the Italian Garden Pools at Biltmore
The Italian Garden closely resembles the original blueprint by Olmsted, with the only main difference being the center bed display.

Blooming Blueprint

While the lilies are the one the highlights of the Italian Garden, the pools include an array of other plants. Lotus, Victoria water platters, canna lilies, papyrus, water snowflakes, and purple leaf rice are all in bloom right now.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of visiting the Italian Garden is the fact that the design intent has remained unchanged since Vanderbilt’s time. Two of the pools have been refurbished, and the Hemlock hedges have recently been replaced with American Holly hedges to stay true to Olmsted’s vision for the garden. The plants used pay homage to gardening notes and plant orders found in estate archives. We don’t do anything different in the Italian Garden than what they did back in George Vanderbilt’s day.

Bring Home the Beauty of the Italian Garden

Water Gardening is easier than you think. Below are some quick tips for creating a backyard water garden:

  • Select a sturdy, large ceramic container that can hold water.
  • Find a location that receives at least eight hours of sunlight, and use pavers or bricks to form a level base for the container.
  • Start with a fool-proof water plant such as tropical water lilies.
  • Plant the water lily in a small plastic container filled with topsoil and plunge the pot into the larger container filled with water. Cover the soil with pebbles or sand to prevent muddy water.
  • The top of the lily’s pot should be eight inches below the surface of the water. If necessary, add bricks or blocks to form a base within the water container. Finish off the water garden by adding water lettuce or other floating plants.
  • Maintain your water garden by cutting spent blooms on the lily and pushing a fertilizer tablet into the lily’s soil every few weeks.

Learn more about our gardens and grounds.

Pizzetas with Grilled Summer Vegetables and Goat Cheese

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Pizzetas are small, individual-style grilled pizzas that make an amazing appetizer or light lunch any time of year. For summer, our estate chefs suggest this version topped with grilled seasonal vegetables, goat cheese, and drizzled with an herby vinaigrette. For the perfect finish, serve with a glass of our award-winning Biltmore Estate® Sauvignon Blanc featuring crisp, refreshing notes of fresh lemon, Granny Smith apple, and a hint of grass.

Serves 4-5
 

Pizzeta Dough Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon quick-rising dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water

Pizzeta Topping Ingredients

  • 2 heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 small yellow squash
  • 2 portabella mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Herb vinaigrette salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 12 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions

Dough: Combine flour, sugar, garlic, basil, rosemary, tarragon, olive, oil, vegetable oil, and salt in a mixing bowl; mix with a dough hook. Add the yeast and mix at low speed. Add ½ cup of the water gradually, mixing constantly. Add the remaining water gradually, mixing constantly until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Mix at low-to-medium speed for 3–4 more minutes. Remove to an oiled bowl, turning to coat the surface.

Let dough rise, covered with a clean towel, until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Punch down to remove air bubbles and divide into 4–5 equal portions. 

Preheat a grill for 10–15 minutes until hot. Place each portion of pizzeta dough on an inverted cake pan or baking pan and press gently into a circle. Invert the pans on the grill so that the dough circles rest on the grill. Grill for 1–2 minutes or until the dough is set. Remove the pans and turn the crusts over. Grill until the other side is marked. Remove from the grill.

Pizzetas: Cut the tomatoes, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms into chunks. Combine with the salt, pepper and dressing in a bowl. Toss to coat evenly. Drizzle vegetables with salad dressing and toss to coat evenly. Grill the vegetables until tender-crisp. Chop into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle over the pizzetta crusts. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake pizzetas until the cheese melts and the crusts are crisp. Sprinkle with chopped basil. Cut into wedges to serve.

Tip: Try pizzetas with any combination of toppings and sauces that you enjoy!

Smoked Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette Salad

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Perfect for a light summer lunch, enjoy this delicious recipe that pairs savory Biltmore Smoked Salmon with fresh greens in a tangy citrus dressing. Try pairing it with a favorite white wine like our Biltmore Estate Sauvignon Blanc to make any meal a bit more special.

Smoked Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette Salad

Serves 4

Citrus Vinaigrette

  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange and lime zests
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad

  • 6 ounces Biltmore Smoked Salmon
  • Arugula/spring lettuce mix or other lettuces of choice
  • Cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Bean sprouts
  • Grape tomatoes, halved
  • Carrot shavings

Instructions

For the vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, reduce (over high heat) the fresh orange juice, lime juice, and citrus zest to 1/4 cup. The mixture should be thick and syrupy. Pour mixture in medium bowl, add mustard, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Whisk to blend. Stir vigorously and slowly drizzle olive oil into the bowl as you whisk. Set vinaigrette aside as you prepare the salad.

Salad: Arrange 2 ounces of salmon on each of 4 chilled salad plates. In a large bowl combine lettuce, cucumber slices, avocado slices, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and carrots. Toss with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Make sure all is well blended. Place salad over salmon. Serve immediately.

A Topping Fit for Our Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

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Our Crème Brûlée Cheesecake brings the delicious tastes of two classic desserts together in one elegant offering. Winery Manager Rick Deblasio suggests pairing it with our Pas de Deux Sparkling, because the refreshingly sweet bubbles will offer a pleasant match for the richness of both the cheesecake and the crème brulee.

Savor this cheesecake just as it is, or create the perfect finishing touch with our simple recipe for a strawberry preserve-style topping.

Strawberry Preserves Cheesecake Topping

Ingredients

  • 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed, capped, and sliced in half
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Preparation Instructions

Place halved berries, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and sugar in a medium sauce pot. Stirring very carefully with a spatula or wooden spoon so berries aren’t mashed too much, heat berries over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the berries are slightly soft. Heating the berries with sugar will draw out extra juice. Mix cornstarch and remaining lemon juice together in a small bowl. Stir this mixture into the berries and continue to heat, stirring carefully for about 2 minutes until the juices have all thickened and have become shiny and gel-like. Pour into a plastic container and let cool. When ready to serve, spoon a generous serving of Strawberry Preserves. Topping over each slice of Crème Brûlée Cheesecake.

Serving Tip

To cut cheesecake easily, chill well. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, and cut a slice. Repeat for more slices.

Learn more about Biltmore cheesecakes and find a retailer near you.

The never-ending world of turf maintenance

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Turf maintenance is a large part of Biltmore’s landscape that is often overlooked. You could almost say it gets “walked over” on a regular basis!

When it comes to turf, there’s a lot of it when you consider the lawns around Biltmore House & Gardens, along estate roadsides, and everywhere else.

Well maintained turf surrounding The Inn on Biltmore Estate
The grounds surrounding The Inn on Biltmore Estate include acres of well maintained turf.

Keeping all that grass mowed and trimmed is the responsibility of Biltmore’s Turf Management team.

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

Historic Rose Garden at Biltmore

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.

A member of Biltmore's turf maintenance team mows grass in the Italian Garden
A member of Biltmore’s turf maintenance team mows grass in the Italian Garden

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.

Couple drinking wine on the turf in front of Biltmore House
The Front Lawn is mowed twice weekly, making it a perfect spot for a Luminere picnic!

“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?”

This Cheesecake Topping Is Just Peachy

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Our Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is a rich, delicious dessert that makes any occasion more special. Winery Manager Rick Deblasio suggests pairing it with Biltmore Estate Riesling from our own vineyards. This refreshing white wine will provide some sweetness to complement the peach preserves and toasted pecans without overpowering the dish.

Enjoy the classic taste of our Vanilla Bean Cheesecake just as it is, or whip up this special summertime topping featuring peaches and pecans.

Peach Preserves with Toasted Pecans Topping

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of peaches, sliced (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved and seeded
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, halves or pieces*

Preparation Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except vanilla bean and pecans in a medium sauce pan. Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise, then scrape the contents of the pod into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Peaches will become very soft and should start to shred apart slightly. Topping can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Spoon a generous serving over each slice of cheesecake to be served, then sprinkle with some of the toasted pecans.

Tips

To cut cheesecake easily, chill well. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, and cut a slice. Repeat for more slices.

*If pre-toasted pecans aren’t available, it’s easy to do it yourself. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet and toast lightly for about 5 minutes, being careful not to scorch them.