The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles (California) hosted the 95th edition of the Oscars yesterday, in which Everything at once everywhere emerged as the great winner. The awards ceremony given by the Hollywood Academy is the film event of the year, but the ceremony is nothing more than the starting signal for a great night of partying, celebration and food. All the film stars, awarded and non-awarded, gathered at the Governors Ball after the gala to enjoy a dinner worthy of the big screen.
At the banquet there were options for all tastes, from a sophisticated tartare to fried chicken or baked pizza. Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck was in charge of preparing the exclusive menu for the Oscars. The chef has extensive experience in this, since he has dealt with the gastronomic proposal for these awards on 29 occasions (surely he knows all the preferences of the big stars in detail).
The guests at the Oscars must have whetted their appetites upon hearing the letter, especially after the red carpet runs, endless press interviews, and hours of the ceremony itself. In the end, the reward came and they were treated to a dizzying array of dishes prepared by Puck’s catering company.
In the extensive menu, with almost 80 different preparations, traditional British cuisine had a leading role: fish
Nor was there a lack of Wellington sirloin, a classic of English cuisine. But there were many, very many dishes, most notably Asian-style fried chicken, various types of crispy rice, a chicken salad served on an endive leaf, and a coconut pandan leaf waffle. In addition, the chef offered an entire stall dedicated to pizza made on a wood fire with variants with chorizo, spicy chicken and ham and arugula.
For artists who follow a vegetarian diet, the gastronomic offer included a total of 22 meat-free dishes. To snack, golden beetroot confit with cashew cream, gastrique and mint; a green pea falafel; or some mushroom potsickers. They also enjoyed hearts of palm with coconut, cucumber, avocado and tapioca chips, or a vegan taco.
The sweet table did not fall short either. Among the options were chestnut cake, waffle cones with ice cream, chocolate bars with lavender, raspberry brownies, tarte tatin with Bourbon, fruit sorbets or some chocolates in the shape of the award, for those who did not take it last night. The dessert list, which never disappoints, stretched to a total of 32 different creations. There was even a large table full of cigarettes and chocolate cigars, to accompany them with a Don Julio tequila, all very movie-like.
Finally, a Fleur de Miraval champagne was served as a drink. Also two limited edition Francis Ford Coppola wines created solely for the awards ceremony. It could not be otherwise, the drinks had to be up to the delicacies served.
Yesterday was a dinner for the stars of Hollywood in which everything acquired a great magnitude. Among the enormous figures, it must be taken into account that 120 chefs were in charge of cooking all the dishes, and that 180 kilos of smoked salmon, 2,500 endive leaves, 20 liters of hummus, 300 balls of pizza dough… And the list goes on and on. Although it may seem like an excessive amount of food, it is not wasted. At the end of the night, the remains are donated to non-profit organizations in charge of distributing it, and what cannot be conserved is turned into compost.
