Overview
- PEOPLE published exclusive interviews with former private chef Neil Zevnik, who worked for Taylor in the 1990s and continued cooking at her events into the 2000s.
- Thanksgiving guest lists hovered around 40, supported by three kitchen assistants and four or five servers, with buffet service adopted after platter-passing slowed meals.
- Movers cleared two rooms so a single square table made from five 8‑foot banquet tables could seat everyone together without hierarchy.
- Menus stayed classic with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, two stuffings (traditional bread and corn‑sausage‑pecan), vegetables, mint jelly, and even canned cranberry jelly; Taylor favored crispy turkey wings with plenty of gravy, while Larry Fortensky got a side of Mrs. Cubbison’s stuffing.
- For Christmas, family members decorated the tree themselves and Taylor was deeply involved in thoughtful gift giving, with all details presented as Zevnik’s personal recollections.