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Passing through the gates of HollyHedge Estate Bed & Breakfast, you immediately are struck by the tranquil beauty spread out before you—the small pond with an aerator fountain, the large stone manor house partially hidden by terraced gardens, two carriage houses and the huge stone bank barn, along with stone walls and terraces, and mature shade trees. In short, this bucolic peaceful setting is about as picture perfect as can be.
HollyHedge prides itself on being a top-of-the-line location for country weddings. It has been named the Best Wedding Venue in Bucks County for the last four years by the KNOTT, one of two premier wedding sites on the Internet and won the prestigious Brides Choice Award for 2013 bestowed by WeddingWire.com, the other Website. Said Joseph Luccaro, who owns the property with his wife Amy, “I always have seen this as a grand palette with the gardens, terraces and stone walls.”
According to Joe, the property was a 124-acre farm owned for over a century by three generations of the Fell family. They built the original two-story, two-room, stone and wood frame dwelling between 1787 and 1789, adding the stone bank barn in the early 1800s and the main house, also constructed of stone, some time after 1846 when the property was divided between two Fell brothers. In 1887 it passed from that family. Several decades later, it was sold to the Kearneys, owners and publishers of The Trenton Times. Joe explained, “They turned it into a weekend retreat, truly an estate. They brought in stone masons from Italy who built the beautiful walls and terraces. The Kearneys also added gardens and the first pool.”
After a few more owners, it was purchased in 1976 by George Hizney and Doug Williams who opened a bed and breakfast in 1977, calling it Rambouliet. They had it three years, then sold it to Jerry Cissauli who continued it as a B&B and wedding site. Joe and Amy purchased it in 1989 and renamed it HollyHedge Estate. Although it was a going establishment, there had been problems with the previous owner. “It took us about five years to turn that around,” Joe said simply.
The property now has 21 acres, and along with the structures already mentioned, also has numerous out buildings, a large walled brick patio or courtyard with statuary and a fountain in the center, a newer reception hall built 11 years ago and a farmhouse where Joe and Amy live.
Although HollyHedge is a bed and breakfast with 15 rooms, each with a king or queen size bed, private bath and wi-fi, their main business is weddings. “We’re a rustic, Bucks County wedding facility, hosting about 120 a year,” he said, “We’re a wedding destination. The bridal party and out-of-town guests come for the day and the wedding, then spend the night.” The wedding suite, where many have spent their first night as a married couple, is in the original stone house. “It has a walk-in fireplace, a king size bed, a large shower and a Jacuzzi,” said Joe. There’s another room on the second floor, two rooms in one of the carriage houses, and 11 in the main building. The innkeeper, Kyle Wutke, lives in the other carriage house.
In 2010, Joe and four other longtime Bucks County residents purchased the 1740 House in Lumberville, giving him 24 additional guest rooms for larger weddings, as well as another venue for events. Shuttles ferry guests between the two properties.
Breakfasts at HollyHedge are driven by what produce is in season. Joe said, “Typically, we offer omelets with seasonal fillings, as well as seasonal French toast and pancakes, for instance with blueberries and peach syrup. We have fresh fruit like cut up melons and berries, along with fritattas with sausage or other meat fillings and cheese.” He added, “Our in house baker, who creates all of the wedding cakes, also prepares sweet breads and muffins for breakfasts.”
With pride, Joe explained they now grow a lot of their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. “We have strawberries, blueberries, red and golden raspberries and blackberries. We don’t grow enough yet to meet all of our needs. So we supplement ours with local produce.” He said, “We tapped the sugar maples on the property and made maple syrup.”
Joe explained what really sets HollyHedge apart from the other B&Bs, “We live here. This really is our home. We want our guests to feel like they’re home when they’re here. We strive to offer very personal attention.” He continued, “We encourage our guests to get involved in every aspect of their weddings. Most of my staff have been here a long time. One of the event planners is my sister-in-law, one of the cooks my brother-in-law. A nephew is a waiter. And, our son Benjamin is our estate manager and lives here.”
They employ a full-time staff of 16 people, including the baker, three cooks, a maintenance person, three event coordinators, two innkeepers, two housekeepers, the estate manager and Joe and Amy. The staff is supplemented by 40 part-time cooks, bartenders, waiters and housekeepers. “Because our guests like to come early and linger before leaving the next day, we often have only three hours to turn the fifteen rooms.” He added, “Seven of my employees have been with me since I owned Mother’s Restaurant in New Hope.”
Joe grew up in Lynbrook, Long Island in the restaurant business. “My father owned and ran The Barge in Brooklyn.” He met Amy, also a Long Islander, when they both took a class at Nassau Community College. He graduated with a BA in History from Hofstra.
Joe and Amy married and honeymooned at the Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville. “We fell in love with Bucks County and moved here a year later, in 1973,” Joe said. They settled in New Hope. “There weren’t many teaching jobs at the time. So I sort of fell into the restaurant business.” He and his partner Stephanie Weisser opened Mother’s in 1976. “It was a good time, probably the most creative time of my life.” He and Stephanie also acquired Havana. With a grin, he added, “I guess I did all right in that business.”
While he was busy with the restaurants, Amy was a “stay-at-home mom” to their three sons. She also earned her BA in art at Trenton State College, now the College of New Jersey. Once the boys were in school, she got her MA in art history at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, then she taught at Maple Point Middle School in the Neshaminy School District for 15 years.
When they bought HollyHedge, they and their children did everything. “I was the cook, groundskeeper and so on. Amy did housekeeping. And, the boys were cooks, waiters and maintenance workers. All of us did whatever needed to be done,” Joe said. “Our sons want to come back and continue to grow this business.” Their youngest Timothy is in Afghanistan working in conflict resolution at the United States Institute for Peace. Daniel, the oldest, is a lawyer living in Wayne and working in Philly. He and his wife have a toddler whom Joe and Amy babysit one day a week.
AndBen already has come back. “He graduated from Delaware Valley College and worked in the environmental field for several years. He came to help us turn HollyHedge green. The vegetable and herb gardens and fruit bushes were his idea. We’ve installed solar panels that have cut our utility bills by twenty percent. And now all of our plantings are native species. We’ve planted indigenous grasses in the back fields, which are cutting our water usage. We now recycle eighty percent of what we use, and because of that we have cut our garbage bill in half.” He added, “All of these changes have not been inexpensive. However, we now are starting to see positive results. We’re better prepared and have whole house generators to deal with extreme weather events like Sandy.”
With a satisfied smile, Joe said, “We have built this place up from virtually nothing. And, people appreciate what we’ve done here.”
HollyHedge Estate is located at 6987 Upper York Road, New Hope, PA. To find out more information, call HollyHedge Estate at 215-862-3136 or visit their Website at www.hollyhedge.com.
Patti Guthrie is a freelance writer and antiques dealer from Chalfont, PA.