Moveable Feast Dinner at Biltmore (Spring in the American South) with Executive Chef Damien Cavicchi
The mountains are calling and I must go. – John Muir
We were recently invited to attend a very special al fresco wine dinner on the property of Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. When you receive an invitation to experience a rare evening like that, you get in the car and go.
If you are not familiar with Biltmore, this home is the largest private residence in America and is situated on 8,000 acres in the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville. Built by George Vanderbilt, Biltmore first opened its doors to guests and the Vanderbilt family on Christmas Eve 1895. To this day, Biltmore remains in the hands of the Vanderbilt family and is a National Historic Landmark. The property, surrounding gardens and buildings are an elegant and stunning venue for special events.
Biltmore Estate
Alona serves wines selected for the evening
This dinner, hosted on Saturday May 19th, was part of the Biltmore’s Moveable Feast series. These dinners feature an opportunity to dine at a feasting table with a rarely seen view of the property. Each event in the series has a different open air location on the Estate and unique theme for the dinner. There are four more Moveable Feast dinners scheduled this year (one later this month).
Executive Chef Damien Cavicchi’s theme for this evening was “Spring in the American South” and the menu was “A Southern inspired meal with modern roots”. The location for this Moveable Feast was over the French Broad River on a bridge connecting the East and West Side of the Estate with views of the Inn on Biltmore Estate in the distance.
The feasting table over the French Broad River
Inn at Biltmore Estate in the distance
Guests began the evening and a six-course dinner with passed hors d’oeuvres and wines from Biltmore Estate. Utilizing many of the estate’s own harvested meats and beautiful fresh local produce, the menu featured dishes like Homemade Boudin, Andouille Sausage and Kale Salad with Pickled Peppers, Black-Eyed Peas, Boiled Estate Egg and a Wood Roasted Leg of Estate Lamb with Fresh Chick Peas, Carrot Puree, Salty Peanut and Mint Herb Salad. Paired with Biltmore’s wines and the surrounding scenery, it was an evening to remember.
Guests enjoying pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and Biltmore wines
Enjoying the beautiful evening at Biltmore
We all enjoyed the musician throughout the evening
Prepping and plating the evening’s dishes
Serious conversations prior to dinner
Love that you got to go and you shared this with us, Gwen!! It looks amazing!! And those thyme biscuits are calling me. 😀
what a great experience Gwen – we are headed up there next week, it has been a long time since we visited Asheville as well and we are so looking forward to spending a few days there. thanks for sharing this great event…
I’be always wanted to attend a Moveable Feast. I see them constantly on travel and food shows not on the food network. BUT, to attend one at the Biltmore..wow! Such a beautiful place..I’ve admired it for years. Bucket list ;D Your write-up and photos are sparkling as always. I’m not reading the menu part because I’m really hungry for good food right now..and we don’t have any on hand. Not in the mood to cook at 5:30 am lol
Thank you, Lisa. Biltmore is the perfect setting for a dinner like this. I thought we were going to get rained out that evening, but the storm passed by us and it was a lovely event.
What a delicious evening indeed. This is such a lovely and heartfelt post. Thank you for sharing!