For the 30th time, the Hollywood Carinthian is serving around 1,600 guests at the Governors Ball after the Oscar Gala. Wagyu beef, chicken pot pie are served and Martin Scorsese has pasta.
Wolfgang Puck doesn’t have time to watch films in the weeks before the Oscar gala. The star chef admits with a wink that he only saw “Oppenheimer”. But on Sunday, the Austrian native will meet all the Hollywood celebrities at the 96th Academy Awards. For the 30th time, Puck is serving the approximately 1,600 guests at the Governors Ball after the Oscar Gala. With a team of over 100 cooks and helpers, he whirled through the makeshift kitchen on Thursday.
The Hollywood Carinthian calmly explains that they serve 30 dishes at the gourmet feast: warm bites such as fine mini burgers or vegan sweet potato pavé, cold delicacies such as Spanish fine ham or wild salmon strips – cut into the shape of the Oscar trophy and topped with caviar Served with crackers. There is a lot of vegetarian food on the menu, but also a lot of meat. “Everyone is hungry after the show and eats a lot of meat.” An expensive treat is Wagyu beef. 55 kilograms of the premium beef from Japan are on the long shopping list.
Extra sausages for a few
The traditional dish Chicken Pot Pie is also a must. The chicken ragout in the dough, refined with truffles, is a hit, the 74-year-old reveals about the stars’ preferences. Barbra Streisand once warned him that she would be at the Oscars and would like this dish. Occasionally he responds to special requests – a special pasta dish for Martin Scorsese, Asian fish for Oscar winner Ang Lee.
Puck has had a dream career in Hollywood. In order to escape his strict stepfather in rural Austria, he left his parents’ house at the age of 14 to work as a kitchen boy, later learned his trade in France and settled in Los Angeles at the age of 24. There he became a star chef and turned Californian cuisine on its head with new ideas. He operates dozens of restaurants worldwide, including the well-known “Spago” in Beverly Hills. On Sunday he only has the temporary facility set up next to the Dolby Ballroom at his disposal.
Chocolate Oscar for everyone
Of course there were also kitchen mishaps. The very first tasting of Oscar guests 30 years ago was a challenge. At that time he was cooking in a parking lot next to the Shrine Auditorium – in the rain and wind. The gas kept going out when he wanted to conjure up truffle risotto with grilled chicken breast. Another time the power was out for a long time on Oscar Sunday. “I almost had a heart attack, but in the end the guests didn’t notice anything,” grins Puck.
The traditional chocolate Oscar has also been there from the start. He has already made tens of thousands in his long Hollywood career. “Everyone gets an Oscar from us,” he says proudly. This time, 3,500 sweet consolation prizes were dusted with edible gold and packed in small boxes to take home.
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