When Elizabeth
Taylor hosted Thanksgiving for up to 45 guests in her Bel Air ranch
home, even the furniture had to go. What did her all-in-one-table
feast and surprisingly traditional menu really look
like?
A moving truck in Bel
Air, not hauling valuables out of Elizabeth Taylor’s home for an
estate sale, but for Thanksgiving. Sofas gone, armchairs gone, the
famous trophy room stripped of everything but her Oscars so one
giant table could snake through the house. At the center of it all
was Taylor herself, waiting for a plate piled high with crispy
turkey wings and oceans of gravy.
The woman who
mesmerized audiences in National Velvet and sold bottles
of White Diamonds by the millions apparently had a
favorite role that never saw a red carpet – holiday hostess. With
the help of private chef Neil Zevnik, she turned a modest 1960s
ranch-style house in Bel Air into a temporary banquet hall every
November, serving an all-out American feast to as many as 45
guests. The Elizabeth Taylor Thanksgiving menu was lavish,
unapologetically traditional and just fussy enough to feel
glamorous.
Inside The 45-Guest Bel Air Thanksgiving
A Ranch House Turned Banquet Hall
Taylor did not live in a Versailles-style palace. Her Bel Air place was a low-slung 1960s ranch, which is why logistics came with a side of chaos. Zevnik, who cooked for her full-time through the 1990s, recalls guest lists between 30 and roughly 45 people. Her rule: everyone sits together.
To pull that off, she hired a moving company. The living room and the adjoining trophy room – where her awards usually lived – were emptied before the holiday. In their place, Zevnik pushed together five banquet tables to create one huge table that could seat about 44 people in a single, spectacular sprawl.
The Egalitarian Guest List
Unlike some Hollywood dinners, Thanksgiving at Taylor’s was not a networking opportunity disguised as a meal. It was mostly kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews and their partners, with the occasional Old Hollywood friend slipped in quietly. Everyone, famous or not, sat at the same table. No kids’ table. No “best seat” politics. If you were in the house, you were in the mix.
Centerpieces Worth Climbing On The Table For
Once the furniture vanished, the set-dressing began. Zevnik would literally take off his shoes, climb onto the tables and build a dramatic centerpiece down the middle of that vast surface. There were draped fabrics, flower arrangements from Mark’s Garden, candles and little tchotchkes marching along the center. It looked less like a family dining table and more like a couture show set, just one that ended with seconds of stuffing instead of champagne.
What Was On Elizabeth Taylor’s Thanksgiving Menu
The Turkey – And Wings Reserved For Liz
At heart, the Elizabeth Taylor Thanksgiving menu was resolutely
classic. It was a classic American Thanksgiving with turkey,
mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole,
Zevnik says. But
Taylor herself had two obsessions: turkey wings and gravy. She
wanted the wings crispy, crunchy, salty and plentiful, with extras
for leftovers.
For Today.com, Zevnik shared his crispy wing method: toss six turkey wings in a mix of olive oil, melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of hot sauce, then roast at 425 F, turning once, and blast them at 475 F for a few final minutes until the skin is aggressively crisp. The chef always made extra, because if there was one thing more dangerous than an under-seasoned wing, it was running out of them.
The Sides: Traditional, With Tiny Twists
If the wings were her indulgence, the sides were her comfort zone. A typical Elizabeth Taylor Thanksgiving spread included:
- Roast turkey carved for the crowd
- Mashed potatoes, creamy and classic
- Sweet potato casserole, rich but not gimmicky
- Traditional bread stuffing
- Cornbread sausage stuffing as a second, slightly richer option
- Green beans or haricots verts
- Creamed pearl onions
- Fresh cranberry peach relish alongside the obligatory cranberry sauce
- A mince meat pie on the sideboard
Then there were the little chef-y flourishes she loved. Zevnik
once built a globe of broccoli and cauliflower florets arranged
like a green-and-white checkerboard, then drizzled it with olive
oil, orange zest, black pepper and a little melted butter. She
didn’t want it weird,
he says, but she wanted it
interesting.
The Dessert Finale
According to the official Elizabeth Taylor site, dessert leaned into autumn classics: pumpkin pecan cheesecake, pumpkin pie and apple pie. It was excess with a sense of humor – exactly on brand for a woman who had the range for both eight marriages and a perfectly calibrated pie crust.
How To Steal Her Hosting Playbook
Move The Furniture, Not The Guest List
You probably are not calling a moving company, but Taylor’s logic holds. Clear the biggest room you have, borrow or rent folding or banquet tables and treat the space like a blank set. For a large crew, it is better to create one long, snaking table than scatter people across rooms. Even if you end up with an L-shape instead of a perfect square, the visual of everyone in one conversation is pure Liz.
Use Her Make-Ahead Mindset
Zevnik started shopping the week before and spent at least Monday through Thursday cooking. Translate that to real life with a three day plan: three days out, make stock and cranberry relish and bake at least one dessert; two days out, assemble stuffings and casseroles so they are ready to bake; the day before, chop vegetables, set the table and label serving platters. Day of, you are mostly roasting turkey, finishing gravy and pretending this was all effortless.
Keep It Traditional – Then Add One Showpiece
Taylor’s genius was knowing when to stop. Most of her dishes were familiar, just executed generously and plated a little beautifully. Then she let Zevnik sneak in one or two visual stunts, like that broccoli-cauliflower globe. The modern translation: keep your menu rooted in comfort, pick one dish to turn into a little spectacle and, if necessary, make peace with the fact that you, too, might fall a bit in love with a very crispy turkey wing.
