This year, the Oscar team went out all, inviting the Amsterdam News to all of the VIP opportunities associated with the “biggest award night” for the film industry, which is lovingly coined “the Oscars.”
The most delicious treat was tasting the food that is provided each year by master chef Wolfgang Puck, and academy governor Jeffrey Kurland and event producer Cheryl Cecchetto.
The first stop and the most coveted invite is the Governors Ball, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official post-Oscar celebration, which will immediately follow the 87th Oscars ceremony Sunday, Feb. 22. The Ball’s 1,500 invited guests include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and other telecast participants.
“The artistry and glamour that have truly defined Hollywood for decades will be highlighted at the 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 decor, 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,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Inception,” “Beautiful Creatures” and the upcoming “Tomorrowland.” He received an Oscar nomination for costume design for “Bullets Over Broadway.” This year 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 decor, entertainment, food and personnel.
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 imaginative dishes, 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 24-karat gold and artichokes with asparagus, fava beans, baby beets and citrus vinaigrette.
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 24-karat gold chocolate Oscars. CEO Carl Schuster directs more than 900 event staff through the detailed logistics and hospitality experience.
This year is Puck’s 21st consecutive year of 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 after the Oscar telecast.
The 87th Oscars will be held Sunday, Feb. 22, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.