Candlelight Finger Bowl Dinner

Come enjoy a unique and historical dining experience at the outdoor Finger Bowl at Grey Towers National Historic Site, home of two-time governor and conservationist, Gifford Pinchot, on July 19 at 5 p.m.

The Finger Bowl served as the Pinchot family’s outdoor dining room. Added in 1934 to the French-style mansion and gardens constructed in the 1880s by James and Mary Pinchot, the unique water-filled table was the site of many discussions about politics, social issues, and conservation efforts.

“The food was passed to guests by floating filled wooden bowls and balsa rafts on the water. The opening in the wisteria-covered pergola permitted moonlight to radiate across the water,” said Linda Pinto, Grey Tower Heritage Association (GTHA) board member and one of the event’s organizers. “This recreation of those dinners, which we first did last year with a sold-out audience, is a very romantic and magical evening for everyone.”

GTHA invites members and the general public to enjoy a tribute to this lovely tradition in mid-summer as they savor delicious foods prepared and served in the tradition of the Pinchot family’s dinner celebrations.

A wine and hors d’oeuvres reception starts at 5 p.m. with dinner seating at 6 p.m. around the water-filled Finger Bowl table, and at tables that line the perimeter of the pergola. Only pergola seats are currently available, which provide an equally enjoyable experience.

Seating is limited. Reserve now at greytowers.org/event/finger-bowl-candlelight-dinner/.

A second Fingerbowl dinner will take place on Sept. 5 as a fundraiser for the Heritage Association’s Legacy Scholarship, which awards scholarships to tri-state public high school students who plan to study natural resources, science, economics, ecology, education, and social sciences. Tickets for that dinner are also on sale now at greytowers/org/events.

Built in 1886 as the summer estate of James and Mary Pinchot, Grey Towers is a national historic site managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The estate serves as a hub for conservation education and public engagement, reflecting the Pinchot family’s enduring environmental and community legacy.