The nominees may be granted an award for their hard work and dedication in film, but they really take home the prize at the end of the night — when Wolfgang Puck catering serves delicious eats at the Oscars Governors Ball. This is the 32nd year the culinary mogul will be feeding approximately 1,500 guests in an exclusive afterparty hosted at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood. And, yes, I got a sneak peak of all of the innovative foods that are taking up celebrities dishes.
This is the third year I’ve had the privilege of walking around the room, soon-to-be-filled with your favorite actors and actresses, who are hungry after hours of a foodless awards ceremony. Puck is ready and waiting with dishes like mini cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, vegan sushi, tomahawk steak, chicken pot pie, chicken caesar pizza — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. After trying quite a few staple appetizers and sweets, here are some foodie finds and cocktails that I deemed award-winning.
The ice cream
Wolfgang Puck’s son, Byron Puck, let me in on the beauty of the new ice cream, sorbet, and gelato station, which is all made from scratch. The setup continuously churns, so that the dessert stays really “silky,” “light,” and “velvety” the entire night, breeding the perfect temperature and consistency.
Salmon crackers
Every year, Puck serves these Oscar-shaped smoked salmon crackers topped with caviar.
Cocktails
Mixologist Lorenzo Antinori (who owns Bar Leone, ranked second on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list) and Charles Joly are behind the Tequila Don Julio bar, where iconic cocktails will be served, such as the Golden Cut Margarita (which is finished with toasted baby corn) and the Best In Show (a refreshing cocktail featuring vermouth, tequila, elderflower liqueur, cucumber syrup, and more).
Chocolate Oscar
My favorite part of the preview is always munching on the mini golden chocolate Oscar man, which consists of 70% dark chocolate that’s painted with a combination of lemon extract, gold powder, and triple sec. Plus, Puck’s Executive Pastry Chef Garry Larduinat let me spray one for myself, so that was certainly an exciting moment for me.
Sake
For the second year in a row, guests can pursue the sake station, filled with the Blue 23 variety of the Japanese brand Dassai. I learned that it only contains 23% rice, making it incredibly smooth and high-grade.
What better way to end the experience than laughing with Wolfgang and his son, over a juicy cut of steak?
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