From passion to place

Tucked among cornfields and country roads just outside Champaign, Pear Tree Estate has hosted hundreds of weddings and events.

The facility, built in 2013, is clad in wood and nestled next to a little pond beyond which lies the familiar, flat horizon of central Illinois. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to flood the room and perfectly frame the picturesque corn growing right outside. 

But it isn’t just the beauty of the location that draws people to Pear Tree – sisters and owners Annie Murray Easterday and Lauren Murray Miller, have created a home away from home, making family out of strangers. The sisters both hold degrees in food science and human nutrition and hospitality management from the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. 

At their events, all the food is served family style, reminiscent of the sisters’ upbringing on the family farm located not far from the estate. Guests eat some of the best food of their lives – far from the average chicken dinners adorning many a wedding plate. Among the venue's offerings are effervescent bubbly bars, rich smashed potatoes, decadent smoked gouda mac and cheese, and their signature house-smoked meats. And the desserts are remembered for years – from s’mores cookies, to sugar cookies with caramel swirl buttercream, to their famous homemade brownies. 

Read more from STORIED Magazine.