When the red carpet rolls out onto the famous Los Angeles intersection of Hollywood and Highland, it can only be for the most exclusive and glamorous evening of the year—the Oscars. Couture gowns will flow, designer tuxes will be pressed to perfection, and diamonds will sparkle in every direction as the coveted golden statue sits within reach. And for the 24th consecutive year, renowned chef Wolfgang Puck and his Wolfgang Puck Catering team—including the vice president of culinary, Eric Klein—have put together a sophisticated menu packed with black truffles, caviar, and Miyazaki wagyu beef.
Located within the Ray Dolby Ballroom, the Governors Ball will host an expected 1,500 A-list guests fresh from the show ready to indulge. On the menu, pot stickers wow with edamame and black-truffle filling, while Oscar-shaped smoked salmon rests on a matching cracker with crème fraîche, dill, and, of course, a dollop of caviar. It’ll be a challenge not to eat more than three. Smooth as a cloud from heaven is the potato caviar 2.0. This twice-baked potato is light and creamy, while a touch of crème fraîche adds a mild tartness offset by a heaping spoonful of caviar on top. Did we mention that caviar is a big theme?
It’s important when ingesting excessive amounts of those delicious salty pearls that one pauses to cleanse their palate, and at the Oscars, only the best will do. French Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck returns as the sole bubbly to be served at the awards show and gala, along with Tequila Don Julio specialty cocktails and two limited-edition wines from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. We’ll cheers to that.
Inside the ballroom, all eyes will be drawn to the 2,600-pound ice sculpture, which houses a raw bar filled with oysters, lobster, mussels, crab legs, and a caviar parfait dusted with 24-karat gold. Other notable small plates on the menu include a black-truffle chicken potpie, black bass, frozen beets with a yuzu and ginger milk curd (surprisingly refreshing), and Miyazaki wagyu beef tartare served on a forbidden black-rice-style crisp with red beets and char siu cabbage.
Chocolate Oscars covered in 24-karat gold. Photo Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock
Extravagance takes center stage on the dessert table with cocktail-inspired macaroons (gin mojito, anyone?), dark chocolate brownies, oodles of cookies, passion-fruit-and-caramel Oscar lollipops, and chocolate-shaped Oscars covered in 24-karat gold—to name a few. But the absolute showstopper comes in the form of Callebaut ruby chocolate. This fully sustainable, naturally pink-colored chocolate has a mild fruitiness to it that works incredibly well in the Ruby Chocolate Strawberry and Cream dessert, which contains strawberry-hibiscus mousse, strawberry compote, vanilla sponge, and mascarpone cream. On its own, this dessert is sublime—but then it comes served within a handblown, gold-infused sugar sphere, and you realize that all your dreams (dreams you may not have known existed) have just come true.
As this year marks the 90th anniversary of the Oscars, Academy governor Lois Burwell—an Oscar-winning makeup artist—and event producer Cheryl Cecchetto are ensuring that the heart of this celebration honors the history of cinema. Original artifacts, music, and accessories will be on display, like the vintage camera used to shoot Gone with the Wind and Audrey Hepburn’s wig, tiara, and pearls worn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Perhaps a lesser-known fact about the Oscars is its dedication to being as eco-friendly as possible on such a decadent night. All unused food will be donated to Chefs to End Hunger, while the plastics, metals, glass, paper, cardboard, and even red carpet will be recycled. Floral arrangements will be delivered to the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s residential community to be planted.
