Wolfgang Puck Unveils Oscar Feast for The Academy’s 87th Oscars Governors Ball

It’s Oscar time! The biggest party after the show, The Governors Ball, was revealed today for the press by The Academy.

Permeating the air with imaginative dishes, master chef Wolfgang Puck showed those gathered at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center the incredible feast he’s creating for the evening.

Puck and Matt Bencivenga, chef partner of Wolfgang Puck Catering, have drawn upon vintage and contemporary Hollywood glamour to create a menu that’s both legendary and innovative. The menu will feature more than 50 scrumptious delights, from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-plate entrees that will be passed throughout the evening. Guests will enjoy such signature Puck favorites as smoked salmon Oscars, chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles, and mini American Wagyu burgers with aged Cheddar.

Puck also will present classic dishes re-imagined for Hollywood’s big night, including lobster “BLT”; beet latkes with pastrami duck and apple mustard; and dover sole with orange miso vinaigrette. Appealing to diverse palates will be modern vegetarian dishes featuring local organic produce, such as parsnip soup with white chocolate, pears and 24k gold; and artichokes with asparagus, fava beans, baby beets and citrus vinaigrette.

Even this chocolate reel was good enough to eat!

Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland and event producer Cheryl Cecchetto are also returning to create this year’s Governors Ball, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official post-Oscar celebration, which will immediately follow the 87th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, February 22. The Ball’s 1,500 invited guests include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and other telecast participants.

Cheryl Cecchetto unveiled the décor and other ball elements, including an illuminated layered collage made exclusively for the Governors Ball.

“The artistry and glamour that have truly defined Hollywood for decades will be highlighted at 87th Oscars Governors Ball,” said Kurland. “We’ve selected the most stunning imagery from the Academy’s vast collections to set the stage for our guests. The Academy will honor and share these timeless moments of a legacy that is in our blood and truly makes us who we are.”

As the chair of the Governors Ball, Kurland will oversee the décor, menu and entertainment planning, as well as design the attire to be worn by the evening’s staff. Kurland is an acclaimed costume designer whose feature credits include “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Radio Days,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Inception,” “Beautiful Creatures” and the upcoming “Tomorrowland.” He received an Oscar nomination for Costume Design for “Bullets over Broadway.” This will be Kurland’s sixth year serving as Governors Ball chair.

Cecchetto, along with her Sequoia Productions team, will work with Kurland to manage every detail pertaining to the event, including décor, entertainment, food and personnel. Sequoia Productions’ clients include the Television Academy, G’Day USA, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Westfield and the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay. This will be Cecchetto’s 26th consecutive year producing the Governors Ball.

This year’s dynamic pastry team includes Della Gossett, Spago’s executive pastry chef; Kamel Guechida, corporate director of pastry for the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group; and Jason Lemonnier, Los Angeles pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering. Together these chefs will create such innovative and elegant seasonal desserts as apple millefeuille with cider jelly, peanut butter strawberry lollipop, and milk chocolate panna cotta with raspberry and cherry, as well as Puck’s traditional 24k gold chocolate Oscars. CEO Carl Schuster directs more than 900 event staff through the detailed logistics and hospitality experience. This is Puck’s 21st consecutive year creating the menu for the Governors Ball.

The Governors Ball will take place in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center immediately following the Oscar telecast.

Marc Friedland unveiled the design of the envelopes and announcement cards bearing
the names of Oscar winners. This is the 75th anniversary of the Oscar envelope.

Sterling Vineyards featured a selection of wines, Johnnie Walker revealed featured cocktails and recipes and Champagne Piper-Heidsieck gave us alook at the exclusive champagne for the ball.

Photos: ©WAMG / Gary Salem