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.

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.

Their love for food and expertise in hosting were built on their family farm.

Lauren and Annie sat playing on the floor of their farmhouse just outside Champaign in the early 1990s when they heard the hum of an engine, then the click of a car door shutting. Their neighbor padded to their front door, and their mother went to welcome their guest. “Get the popcorn ready,” she relayed to her girls, who had already jumped up anticipating their mother’s request. Lauren stood on her toes to reach the special wooden bowls reserved for guests. After passing them to Annie, she grabbed the popcorn and the duo set to work. Task completed and with the smell of freshly popped popcorn in the air, the sisters proudly walked into the living room, carrying a tray of drinks and another of popcorn. Laughter filled the space.

It wasn’t a special occasion; this was how the Murray family welcomed everyone into their home.

Now as adults and business owners, Annie and Lauren keep that sentiment alive. “To our parents, that wasn’t ‘hospitality,’ it was just what you do,” Annie said. The sisters are currently in their 13th year owning and operating Pear Tree Estate, a modern, full-service event venue just outside of Champaign. “We tell our staff that this is an extension of your home. Treat people as you would in your home,” Annie described.

Birth of a business plan

As far back as they can remember, the pair loved cooking for their family gatherings. Annie and Lauren brought their passion to Illinois. While most college students were slurping ramen noodles from cups, Annie and Lauren, who lived together in an apartment on campus, were making multicourse meals and perfecting family recipes like lobster mac and cheese. Both ultimately found their home in the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences (ACES). 

As they matriculated through their hospitality program, a vision of owning their own business solidified. They began treating each assignment as if it were for their business. Ultimately, when one of their projects demanded a business plan, they created one for the business they were starting: a catering company named L.A. Gourmet.

As the two continued to tweak their favorite recipes, they learned how to run a business. Still students, the sisters applied for and obtained their business license, citing the family farm that they now had a kitchen in. The next weekend, they catered a meal at a family friend’s home to celebrate the National Sweetheart Pageant in Hoopeston, Illinois.

A friend’s wedding followed. The word was out. Annie and Lauren’s food was delicious, and they were kind and charming. After graduating, they found a niche business providing boxed meals to different departments on campus and at Carle Foundation Hospital, in addition to catering events. 

The perfect spot

The two loved their catering business but didn’t love the lack of control they felt going into other people’s spaces. That sparked a two-year search for an event space to call their own. After scouring ads and storefronts throughout Champaign, Annie and Lauren finally found what they thought was a great fit. Both of them arrived to sign the lease, but something just felt off, and the women left empty-handed. They agreed to meet back at the family barn. Lauren set off one way, and Annie went another. As she drove down the asphalt road that split cornfields on each side like a zipper, she noticed a “For Sale” sign at the end of one of the lots. She was 4 miles south of the family farm.

The only thing on the 10 acres of land was a small farmhouse, but the sisters knew this was it. This was their future. With the space secured, they started getting practical about what they needed to do to make the space functional for their business. Annie and Lauren agreed they’d need to spruce the space up a bit: paint, change out a few light fixtures, and generally fix the place up a little.

Once they closed on the land, the sisters got to work. Lauren left at the end of one of the first days of renovation, and when she returned the next morning, Annie was covered in dust, and the house was peeled back to the studs. Annie had a new vision for the space, and Lauren was going to figure out a way to execute Annie’s plan – the perfect pair. With the walls down, they were committed.

The sisters remember thinking in that moment, “It just was such relief. They trusted that it would be done, and that they saw what we saw.”

In what felt like the rainiest spring they could remember, Annie, Lauren, and their team completed building the 8,200-square-foot event space, which they named Pear Tree Estate, in 86 days.

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Annie and Lauren’s business savvy allowed them to weather a pandemic and come out stronger by continuing to build genuine relationships with their clients. The estate now boasts a renovated original house, featuring an area for the bridal party to get ready; an event venue complete with an outdoor patio; and, added in 2025, a chapel.