A Day at Fallingwater
The dining room’s built-in sideboard, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the house, displays a few of the Kaufmann family’s belongings, including a collection of Spode dinner plates and a deep amber-colored vessel by Gertrude and Otto Natzler. Photography by Andrew Burkle, BurkleHagen. Styling by Keith Recker.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, in whose care Fallingwater remains a living, breathing entity, welcomed TABLE Magazine to the house for a gorgeous forest-to-table dinner. Editor in Chief Keith Recker describes the day. Photographs by Andrew Burkle of BurkleHagen illustrate throughout.
Department store visionary E.J. Kaufmann first saw Bear Run during a 1909 retreat from the smoke and grime of Pittsburgh. Its crystal-clear waters and lush woodlands must have soothed his ambitious and hardworking soul like a western Pennsylvanian Garden of Eden. Almost 30 years later, Frank Lloyd Wright, the foremost American architect of the 20th century, brought his ideas about integrating the natural environment and the built environment to the design of Fallingwater, the family’s Bear Run weekend retreat. Though it is without a doubt the most famous American home of the 20th century, and recently a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also an intimate place where the memories of family life still mingle with the sounds of the waterfall over which the house floats.
A visit to Fallingwater really starts when your feet touch the old lane that the Kaufmann’s chauffeur-driven Duesenberg followed to deliver them to their woodland retreat. Because this narrow, well-shaded path quickly reveals a grassy meadow replete with vegetable garden, the domestic life of the house subtly comes to mind before the house itself, evoking thoughts of what was eaten there and how Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann and their son, Edgar Jr., enjoyed their time at Fallingwater.
Beyond the vegetable garden, the path approaches Bear Run, a stream that in most seasons speaks loudly with the bright voice of mountain spring waters. The glossy, dark green rhododendrons engage the eye. Dappled patches of light and shade dance on the path in front of you. As you walk forward, America’s 20th century pinnacle of residential architecture emerges subtly through the trees, revealing only a demure sliver. This masterpiece has modesty.
The lane takes you to a bridge over Bear Run. Before you enter the house, Frank Lloyd Wright seems to tell you to pause before you cross over to his creation. Look to the right for a cool, tree-shaded view of rocks glistening black with water. To the left, the warm-colored stucco of the house and a glimpse through the horizontal expanses of glass that define the rooms. Beyond everything, a gap in the trees opens into a dazzling chasm of light and air filled with the constant sound of the waterfall hidden below. At this moment, you realize that you are already under the spell of the house without even setting foot inside.
Fallingwater’s Chef Tom Shuttlesworth gathers as many ingredients as possible from local farmers and foragers for the site’s café as well as for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy special dinners. Our forest-to-table dinner starts with Franklin Sustainable Farms’ dandelion greens and red chard, foraged chanterelles and garlic, and locally grown fingerling potatoes, eggs, herbs, and fava beans. Photography by Andrew Burkle, BurkleHagen. Food styling by Clare Vredevoogd.
A few steps away, the front door is sheltered by long stone walls which compel you toward it. Inside, the foyer is tiny and dim, forcing you to turn quickly left and up a step into the light, open living room. A generous horizontal ribbon of windows frames views of trees and rocks, drawing your eye not just to the edges of the room, but beyond onto the terraces, and further out still into the wonderful, airy space in which they seemingly float.
“Architecturally, the house is about compression and release, precariousness and stability, shelter and exposure. I think Fallingwater’s ability to balance these differences is the source of its great appeal, which fundamentally lies in its intimacy with nature.”
— Justin Gunther, Director of Fallingwater
Excursion, a 1929 portrait of Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr., hangs in the dining area. Painted by Austrian-American artist Victor Hammer, it shows Fallingwater’s patron in all his youthful vigor. On the dining table, the wooden-handled flatware as well as a suite of walnut plates and bowls, all original to the house, blend with the natural materials of Fallingwater’s interior.
This movement from shadow to light, from compressed chamber to expansive vista, is a hallmark of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. Justin Gunther, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy vice president and director of Fallingwater, comments, “Architecturally, the house is about compression and release, precariousness and stability, shelter and exposure. I think Fallingwater’s ability to balance these differences is the source of its great appeal, which fundamentally lies in its intimacy with nature.”
You must pause here for a moment to drink in the light, the color of the leaves outside, and, if a window is open, the long, soft sentence constantly whispered by the waterfall. Then you are ready to appreciate the details. The floor of waxed flagstone unfurls in gentle, uninterrupted irregularity from your feet to the far terrace edges. Low, built-in banquettes sit just under the windows, dotted with handwoven pillows from faraway places. Square, cushioned ottomans form conversational groupings which can be arranged and rearranged at will. The room invites you to admire its composed elegance, and at the same time seduces you with its easy, welcoming rhythms.
The term “organic architecture” is frequently used to describe Wright’s work, and Fallingwater’s living room beautifully manifests this notion. Stone floors and walls emanate a sense of security, with a massive boulder peeking through to emphasize earthiness. Sunlight arrives from above, of course, but also from below, reflected upward from the stream via a beautiful little staircase that leads down to the water. When this stairway’s hatch is open, cool air moves freely from the stream, through the living room, and out to the terraces, keeping things fresh, even in the hottest months. In chillier seasons, a massive fireplace brings lively heat and flame to the room. Wright has unified the ancient elements of earth, water, air and fire in one space with satisfying fullness.
Who joined the Kaufmanns to enjoy this magnificent room? Albert Einstein came in 1939, not very long after the family started using the house in 1938 after a three-year process of design and construction. He was just one of many friends, family members, and colleagues who joined E.J., Liliane, and Edgar for weekends or special occasions on the property. Since Fallingwater opened to the public in 1964, hundreds of thousands of people have come to appreciate the home, including the Justices of the United States Supreme Court, countless architects from around the world, actors such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and artists like Marina Abramovìc, who visited just this year.
All visitors make the pilgrimage to marvel at the visionary design of the house, as well as the sensory experience it reveals to the most attentive. How many, however, peer in for a view of the “off the tour” kitchen, whose diminutive entrance sits just to the right of the vast hearth? If they peer, do they ponder the Formica countertops, which would have been absolutely cutting edge in 1937 when they were installed? The electric dishwasher and refrigerator would also have been on the futuristic side. Kaufmann’s department store sold such things, and the family would have been firmly in the know about the best of what was available.
They would also have been very interested in ensuring a steady, efficient flow of delicious food from that kitchen. Whether spending time at Fallingwater as a family, entertaining close friends for the weekend, or hosting dinners and events, the menu needed to be top-notch. Elsie Henderson, who cooked for the Kaufmanns in Pittsburgh as well as at Fallingwater from 1947-64, has shared many memories of the food she made in The Fallingwater Cookbook: Elsie Henderson’s Recipes and Memories (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2008). The archives held by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy reveal still more details of a food picture that shows the house, its owners, and its cook and menu planner, were quite involved with local farmers and growers.
Procuring beef and lamb required clearing space in larder and freezer. Gathering many dozens of farm-fresh eggs to take back to Pittsburgh for friends and employees was a regular preoccupation. Milk from the property’s Jersey cows probably made that trip, too. Harvest and preservation of in-season strawberries, blackberries, currants, apples, and peaches was a happy necessity. Planting foodstuffs on the property was also a factor, as evidenced by discussion of when to put in the peas, or a lament about new beds of herbs washing out in heavy rain. Plantings at larger scale took place, too: in 1956, 26 acres of oats, 16 acres of corn, and 8 acres of wheat were planted.
All of this gentleman-farmer abundance made its way year-round into simple foods made of high-quality local ingredients. This is what the Kaufmanns preferred, and it’s part of the house’s DNA.
Chef Tom Shuttlesworth is at the culinary helm today, and he finds a number of parallels between what the Kaufmann’s ate while at Fallingwater and what’s currently on offer. “Thankfully, we still have local farms nearby which offer the finest and freshest products available. All of the best meals start with the best ingredients. Another important parallel is that of simplicity. Through Elsie Henderson and The Fallingwater Cookbook, you see simple dishes rooted in local foodstuffs you don’t need to ‘color’ much to make shine.”
The Hugo, a sparkling herb-inflected cocktail, accompanies foie gras and wild strawberry compote, as well as local fingerling potatoes served with pickled ramps gathered from the Fallingwater property. Photography by Andrew Burkle, BurkleHagen. Food styling by Clare Vredevoogd.
After tasting the nuances and layerings of Chef Tom’s amazing menu, all the details and recipes of which appear here, the short walk from the house to “The View” is welcome. From this spot across the stream, the house and waterfall are seen in their entirety. The house’s layered architectural systems become clearer. What seems entirely organic is highly structured. What appears to be natural and spontaneous is deliberate. What is experienced as an intimate home is, in fact, a masterpiece and an important aspect of our world’s heritage.
Image courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
What is Chef Tom’s forest-to-table favorite? “The entrée is one of those dishes that makes me want to come out of the kitchen and join the fun. The compelling combination of foraged chanterelles and dried apricots, married together with a bit of demi, rounded with a touch of cream, makes a complex, aromatic sauce that complements the richness of roast local venison and corn, the gently sautéed baby squash and fava beans, and earthy wild garlic- and thyme-infused polenta. ”
FALLINGWATER
Forest to Table Menu
Chef Tom Shuttlesworth
Wine recommendations by Adam Knoerzer, Burghundy
Hors d’oeuvres
Fallingwater Pickled Ramps
Footprints Farms Smoked Ham
Local Ricotta
Fingerling Potatoes
Seared Foie Gras
Sautéed 'French Cakes'
Wild Strawberry Compote
Black Pepper Gastrique
Hugo cocktail: sparkling wine, seltzer, elderberry syrup, mint
Appetizer
Franklin Sustainable Farms Dandelion Greens and Red Chard
Dried Pennsylvania Gala Apples
Maple-Coriander Walnuts
Organic PA Swiss Valley Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese
Apple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Galen Glenn 2019 Vinology Grüner Veltliner, Pennsylvania
Entrée
Roast Venison Loin
'Three Sisters' Corn, Fava Beans, Baby Summer Squash
Wild Garlic and Thyme Polenta
Apricot-Chanterelle Cream
Red Newt Cellars 2017 Cabernet Franc, New York State Finger Lakes Region
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2017, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa
Dessert
Edgar's New Red Devil's Food Cake
Lemon Verbena-Infused Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Bean Frosting
M Chapoutier Grenache Banyuls Estate Grown 2016, Rhone Valley, France
STORY by keith recker // RECIPES BY Chef Tom Shuttlesworth // PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrew Burkle // FOOD STYLING BY Clare Vredevoogd // PRODUCTION BY BURKLEHAGEN // SHOT ON LOCATION AT FALLINGWATER thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
To visit Fallingwater: fallingwater.org
Don’t miss a single delicious thing!