Gingerbread House: Betsy Ross Visits

Exquisite Betsy Ross House Gingerbread Replica at The Rittenhouse Hotel

The Rittenhouse Hotel recently had a special visitor for the holidays. Betsy Ross, the upholsterer who crafted the first American flag – also known as Old Glory or the Stars and Stripes – came to see the beautiful gingerbread house created by the hotel’s pastry chef Tova Du Plessis. Chef Du Plessis made skillful use of classic gingerbread house ingredients to decorate the structure including gumdrops and nonpareils. The display of this sweet, charming little structure is available throughout the holiday season.

The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia
Why is Betsy Ross’s house worthy of being the model for a delightful Christmas confection? The story goes that Mrs. Ross, a trained

Quaker upholsterer, sewed the nation’s first flag in 1776 in her home. Over 250 years old, the house at 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, is an historic site, open to the public for tours. You can ask the re-enactors, including Betsy Ross, of course, questions about their lives. Call (215) 529-4026 for more information.

The Rittenhouse Hotel Holiday Activities
Mrs. Ross visited her special gingerbread house on Dec. 16, 2014, and you too can see it for yourself. There are many opportunities for holiday revelry at the Rittenhouse Hotel. The lobby is festooned with holiday décor, created by local landscape designer, Terrain. There’s a Teddy Bear Tea in the Mary Cassatt Tea Room, and you can make reservations for Christmas Eve Dinner, which starts at 5:30 p.m., or join us for Christmas Day Brunch from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (215) 546-9000.