Aside from the awarding ceremony, many Oscars fans and supporters also anticipate the Governor's Ball which happens right after the prestigious show. The 88th Annual Academy Awards gives the privilege of cooking for award winning celebrities to equally qualified and celebrated chefs in the country. This year, it was Chef Wolfgang Puck continuing his 21-year streak. Certainly, he is the Governor's Ball go-to guy.
Cooking for the Oscars is both an achievement and a responsibility. This year, over 1,500 respected guests are coming to the ball, making the event more glamorous and spectacular.
"You know, we have it so well organised and I have so many great people working for me now, I don't have to do as much as I did before," he told TODAY over the phone.
But his expertise could not always mean a flawless and problem-free catering service. As expected, over a thousand people-consists of people from different age groups-doesn't have a single palate to amaze. "Once there was a very young kid at the dinner and the staff had to run to McDonald's to get him a burger," Puck recalls cheerfully.
This year's awards gala was not any different. In fact, he shared that somehow, every year has the same formula and if we must say, he already knows how to 'set the flavor' and knows the guests by their taste buds. "I know Denzel Washington really loves food and wine, so I always put a bottle of burgundy on the side for him. There are more obvious (foodies) such as Barbra Streisand and Adele, who love the chicken pot pie; and Danny DeVito always eats a lot of lobster so I give him a big portion of that," Puck proudly admits.
His menu has its classics, which never fails to make the guests go yum. "We make smoke salmon with caviar every year; we make our chicken pot pie; we also make Chinois lamb chop, which we've been doing for the last six years," he said.
Despite the menu mainstays, he offers something new each year. "This year we're making special dishes such as lobster that we cook in puff pastry with a little ginger and lobster sauce; we are also going to make some lobster tortellini, which we never made before," Puck shared.
Vogue scooped that this year's gourmet menu includes: spicy tuna tartare in a sesame miso cone, avocado toast, taro root tacos with wild mushrooms, baked potato with caviar, and Wagyu short rib. There's also a raw bar and a large chocolate buffet for dessert. Everything is decadent, down to the Oscar-shaped pizzas and mini grilled cheese.
If that is not enough to overwhelm you, Chef Wolfgang shared the kitchen and dining details down to the numbers that will make you thank your gods you're just watching at home.
Oscar Food By The Numbers:
4,000 small plates
6,000 cocktail forks
4,500 bamboo skewers
1,300 oysters
10 kilos of caviar
7,500 individual shrimp
325 pounds of sticky rice
30 gallons of cocktail sauce
6,500 wood-fired Oscar-shaped pizzas
3,000 breadsticks
1,000 grilled cheese sandwiches
1,500 quail eggs
800 figs
300 pounds of Wagyu short rib
400 cauliflower
10 gallons of shallot vinaigrette
5,000 cage-free eggs
2,500 macarons
1,000 mini cookies
7,000 mini chocolate Oscars
Whew, now we know why everybody wants to be at the Oscars. Whether you win the statue or not, the food is what makes it worthy!
