First published in 1976, this book is both a social chronicle and a domestic archive, preserving the customs, characters, and kitchens that shaped the island. Fifty years on, we take a look back and consider what still endures today, through excerpts from its pages.
[In] 1919, the Mizner-designed convalescent hospital became the Everglades Club with Paris Singer the sole owner. It quickly became the focal point of Palm Beach society, and Singer became the social dictator of the town. Club membership cards were issued for one year only, and an invitation to return the following year was dependent wholly on Paris’ likes or dislikes. He capriciously kept one woman out because she laughed too loudly. His escapades with Isadora [Duncan] were a thing of the past, and he was shocked if any scandal touched his members. Someone suggested to him that Colonel [E.R.] Bradley be admitted as a member, but Singer was outraged that a “professional gambler” was considered. He also was adamant in refusing anyone “in trade” or commercial business. After dusk, formal evening clothes were required, though the eclectic Singer himself spent his days in a Basque beret, purple espadrilles, and the wide-striped trousers favored by Europeans. He ran the club according to his own personal whims.
The opening of the club was a gala affair with one fatal flaw. Since war precluded furnishing the club with authentic antiques, Mizner had made his own Spanish furniture, using quicklime and shellac to antique the leather on the chairs. They looked lovely, but when the beautifully gowned ladies sat on them on opening night, the heat from their bodies and the quicklime softened the shellac, and they were literally stuck. Mizner spent much of the night pulling distraught females from their chairs. The next morning swatches of material stuck to the shellac testified as to who had sat where.
All of Palm Beach was fascinated with Addison Mizner after the unveiling of the Everglades Club. One of those who was most impressed was Mrs. E. T. Stotesbury, “Queen Eva,” who held sway over Palm Beach society with an iron hand in a velvet glove during the 1920s and 1930s.
Mr. E. T. Stotesbury was a Philadelphian who had made his fortune in banking. Starting as a grocery clerk, he later became associated with Drexel and Company and worked his way up to head the company. He was also a partner of J.P. Morgan. The Stotesburys were married late in life. Mrs. Stotesbury was a widow and Stotesbury was 63, but their hectic life-style belied Mr. Stotesbury’s advanced age.
In 1916 she had built a 154-room mansion in Whitemarsh outside Philadelphia and was just beginning to work with the architect on a set of plans for a home in Palm Beach when she saw the Everglades Club.
She decided that she must have a Mizner house. El Mirasol, “view of the sun,” was the result. It is said that the building started out to look like a Spanish convent and ended up looking like a Spanish castle. Mizner was so interested in the 40-car underground garage that he completely forgot the kitchen until someone brought the oversight to his attention. Mrs. Stotesbury would often say in later years that the house had genuine 15th-century plumbing.
The grounds of El Mirasol stretched from the ocean to the lake, bordered by Wells Road to the south. Renowned for the spectacular landscaping, it had a private zoo, at least half a dozen patios, a pool with underwater lighting, and a teahouse overlooking the lake. This was reputed to be the spot where Ponce de Leon landed when he visited Palm Beach four centuries before. The house itself contained 37 rooms including a sunroom, auditorium, and a reception room for the chauffeurs of the Stotesburys’ guests. Fifty servants maintained the estate. Mrs. Stotesbury’s grandson, who still lives in Palm Beach, remembers that the security guards were former White Russian soldiers who wore their uniforms and decorations while patrolling the grounds.
The Stotesburys entertained elaborately all during the season, filling the mansion with houseguests who, on arising, would select their meals for the day from menus by Cartier.
El Mirasol was also the setting for recitals, benefits, and lectures by distinguished speakers. During one piano recital, Addison Mizner lured Mr. Stotesbury away for a quick game of pinochle. Mrs. Stotesbury discovered them in one of the patios and chastised Addison, “You sneak away while Rachmaninoff is playing.” Mizner lowered his head and replied, “Oh, I thought it was the piano tuner.”
Mrs. Stotesbury’s jewel collection was considered to be one of the most impressive in the world. Among other pieces she owned a diamond necklace worth over $1 million, given to her by J.P. Morgan as a wedding present, a diamond and sapphire necklace from her husband, and a priceless strand of pearls. Mr. Stotesbury seldom wore more than a stickpin, but he loved to see his wife ablaze with jewels.
The Town of Palm Beach has worked hard to retain its uniqueness; it has legislated to provide beauty and comfort for its residents and visitors. There is excellent police protection, and trash and garbage are collected six days a week. Strict zoning laws prohibit the rise of another concrete jungle similar to the one that has engulfed the coastline to the south. For the enjoyment of the visitors, construction is regulated during the winter season. Building cannot start until 9 a.m. between December 1 and May 1, and all heavy work such as blasting and bulldozing is prohibited during this same period. Aircraft are forbidden to make landings in the town, and one of the few exceptions ever granted was for President Kennedy to land his helicopter here when the Kennedy house functioned as the winter White House. Palm Beach has no mortuaries, cemeteries, or hospitals, although almost every other conceivable service is available in the town.
Palm Beach is no longer the sleepy little resort settlement that it was in Flagler’s day, but a quiet community of 10,000 living in single-family homes and condominiums behind beautifully manicured lawns and tropical hedges. Residents pride themselves that Palm Beach is a very civilized place to live. It is a place with a distinctive style of living, which shows particularly in the way Palm Beachers entertain. Since Palm Beach attracts discerning, well-traveled people from all over the world both as residents and visitors, the standards of entertaining are exceptionally high. From elaborate balls to more simple dinners at home, most hostesses seem to agree that the key ingredient of a successful party is interesting people, but they also pay great attention to the settings, arrangements, and food which their guests will enjoy. This entertaining is done with a distinctive flair, a Palm Beach style.
Soups seem to be a special Palm Beach favorite, particularly served cold. Several hostesses like to offer the soup course informally in the same room in which cocktails have been served. One hostess brings in her favorite tureen on a large tray and serves from it. Another suggests serving a cold soup (especially one that is an interesting color) in large, oversized crystal wine glasses.
Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., is particularly fond of a hot soup served at the table as a first course. She enjoys using her collection of beautiful polished abalone shells, which are heated and filled with a creamy fish chowder. The shells sparkle on brown china on a white linen cloth, reflecting the brown and white decor of her charming small dining room. She had been so pleased with the brown tortoiseshell vinyl wall-covering in the dining room of her first Palm Beach home that she has repeated the effect in her new home on the Lake Trail. Mary Lee Fairbanks never orders flowers from the florist and uses very little silver in her table decorations. She arranges dainty flowers in Waterford jelly cups for the center of the table, or she makes a centerpiece of fresh fruits and vegetables. She never issues black tie invitations because she feels that “people expect more when you say black tie.”Her favorite dinner group is eight, but occasionally she will entertain 16 to 24, seating them at additional round tables. She serves the wine in the bottle without decanting it since she thinks “the wine should stay where it lives.” Bottles of both red and white wine are placed on each table. The Fairbanks like to have interesting guests from the arts and the political world, and favor an evening of good conversation rather than games or music.
The former American ambassador to Pakistan, Benjamin Oehlert, loved the oyster stew at the Oyster Bar in New York’s Grand Central Station so much that he went into his Palm Beach kitchen to see if he could duplicate it. After many tries he came up with a recipe using 12 ingredients, and often entertains his visitors with this delicious dish. Soups, hot or cold, light or hearty, embellish any meal. Many hostesses improvise a basic stock with what is left in the refrigerator. Mrs. F. Warrington Gillet’s chef cleans the refrigerator every three days and uses all the bones and leftover vegetables to make stock for soup. He cooks it for several hours, strains it, and then stores it for later use.
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Fairbanks Chowder
Serves 6 to 8
1½ pounds haddock, or any firm white fish
1½ cups cold water
⅜ cup salt pork or 5 strips lean bacon, chopped
3 cups thinly sliced raw potatoes
⅓ cup chopped onion
1 cup water
3 cups milk
1½ cups light cream
1½ tablespoons butter
salt, paprika, and pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
In a saucepan, place the fish and cold water. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Lift out fish and remove skin and bones. Flake and set aside. Reserve stock. In another large saucepan, place the bacon and cook slowly for 10 minutes, stirring, being sure not to brown it. Drain off the grease. To the bacon add the potatoes, onions, ½ cup water, and the reserved stock. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir for a minute to “break up” the potatoes. Fifteen to 20 minutes before serving, add the fish, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Heat slowly; do not boil. Garnish with the parsley.
This may be prepared ahead of time.
Add the flaked fish before reheating.
Lilly Rousseau is a popular Palm Beach hostess as well as a luminary in the fashion world with her famous Lilly Pulitzer dresses. She loves to entertain and has her own distinct philosophy about the subject. She wants to serve food that tastes good, is presentable and fun, but she’d rather her guests remember what a good time they had than what they ate. When she entertains, Lilly does all her own cooking, but she has plenty of kitchen help—her guests. Everyone finds his way there to chop or stir.
Saturday or Sunday lunch, Cuban-style, is her favorite time to entertain, since she is busy at work during the week. Friends who call on a weekend morning to find out if the Rousseaus are at home are cheerfully included in Lilly’s luncheon plans. She and her husband, Enrique, love to spend the weekend mornings on their boat, but before leaving the docks, Lilly calls the market to order the groceries for lunch and tells the Mexican maid how many places to set. She returns home around noon and while friends swim and chat and wander in and out of the kitchen, Lilly creates a meal.
What is in the refrigerator is her inspiration, and she rarely follows a recipe. “And, of course, it’s black beans and something, or Enrique is in tears. Every Cuban has to have his black beans.” Generally she has luncheon ready in about an hour so her guests can play cards in the afternoon.
On any given Saturday or Sunday there might be 10 to 30 people for lunch in the sunny yellow frame house on the Lake Trail. It is a home that bursts with activity, color, and pets of every description. The center of the house is a marvelous kitchen that can seat 18 plus an additional four at the snack bar. Lilly serves all her meals in a casual, buffet style in this warm, woodsy kitchen. Indeed at lunch there are no tablecloths or place mats. Guests put their colorful plates on the bare wooden table.
One of Lilly’s favorite menus includes tangy baked chicken that has an interesting crispy texture created by coating the pieces in crumbled potato chips before oven frying. With this chicken dish she serves rice, black beans, and avocado and onion salad. Her traditional Cuban dessert is canned guava shells and cream cheese with Cuban crackers. A cool pitcher of Sangria accompanies luncheon. Lilly does everything very naturally—especially entertaining. She blends many different kinds of people, good food, and a casual atmosphere with a relaxed hostess, and the combination works!
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Lilly Pulitzer’s Baked Chicken
Serves 6 to 8
1 cup juice from lemons, limes, or sour oranges
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups dry white wine
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon basil
3 broiler chickens, quartered
1 cup melted butter
3 cups crumbled potato chips
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large bowl, combine juice, salt, pepper, wine, garlic, and basil. Add chicken pieces, cover, and marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken pieces and pat dry. Dip each piece into the melted butter and then roll in the crumbled chips. Arrange pieces in a large, flat, buttered baking dish and bake uncovered for 1 hour. Mrs. Enrique Rousseau uses this recipe when serving a crowd and adds black beans and rice to the menu.
A succulent pork roast browned and crisp on the outside and moist on the inside is a mouth-watering treat either for family fare or special entertaining. Pork is a particular favorite of Cuban-born Mrs. Alfonso Fanjul, who enjoys serving a whole loin of roast pork at her Sunday family lunches. In the summer, luncheon is served around the pool, and her large family and guests enjoy a swim before eating the traditional Cuban meal of roast pork, applesauce, fried banana chips, black beans, and rice and eggs en gelée among other items. Lillian Fanjul enjoys inviting guests of all ages to her parties, and finds it an interesting challenge to make up compatible seating arrangements. For large parties, she prominently displays a seating chart in the room where guests are having cocktails so that everyone will mingle and not spend the beginning of the night engrossed in conversation with a future dinner partner. Mrs. Fanjul plans her menus to include some French, some American, and some Cuban dishes and likes to combine a cold first course, such as a fish mousse, with a hot entrée, or reverses the order and serves a hot fish course with a cold entrée such as boeuf en gelée. At small, seated dinners the courses are passed, but for larger parties the first course is placed on the table and the main course is presented on a buffet. Even men who generally dislike buffets enjoy going to the Fanjul home, as each lady is requested in Cuban style to serve the gentleman on her right from the buffet before serving herself.
Southern Shredded Pork
Serves 6 to 8
3½ pounds fresh pork
2 tablespoons margarine
⅔ cup chopped onion
¼ cup vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup catsup
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons salt
Place pork in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender and easy to shred (approximately 1 to 1½ hours). Remove from water and pull meat apart, discarding all fat. To prepare sauce, in a saucepan melt the margarine. Add onion and brown slightly. Add other ingredients and simmer until blended. Add shredded pork, then simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Serve on buns or as a main course over rice. Beef may be used instead of pork. Substitute 3½ pounds stew beef and treat in same manner. Served in buns, this is a great item for a teen party.
Excerpted from Palm Beach Entertains: Then and Now, by The Junior League of the Palm Beaches, published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. New York in 1976.
From PALMER Vol. 10. To read the full issue, purchase it here.
