Pop! Fizz! Clink! The Oscar fever is not over, just yet. Award ceremonies are so yesterday, the new luxe serving on the menu is the after party. Whether it's to raise a toast to the Oscar results or to drown their sorrows, the starry parade is cordially invited to let their hair down at the Governor's Ball, the official post-Oscars bash.Presenting, a sneak peek inside this extravagant soiree. 10 facts you must know about this year's Governor's Ball -
1) About Chef Wolfgang Puck
Meet the man - Chef Wolfgang Puck! Puck is an Austrian celebrity chef and restaurateur. Having created the menus for some of Hollywood's biggest events, including the SAG Awards and Gala dinner, this will be his 20th year catering the Governors Ball. Puck's favorite food is macaroons and is signature dish is House Smoked Salmon Pizza. His ace cooking styles include Californian, French and Fusion.2) The Theme & DecorThis year's theme is the 'transcendent wonder of nature' and the décor will be resplendent with lush green gardens, under the starry (pun intended!) sky. Extensive floral arrangements with about 10,000 blooms from all over the world have been designed by Mark Held of Mark's Garden.3) The Guest ListAbout 1,500 guests are to attend the gathering, which will include nominees, winners, and the who's who of Hollywood. After the three-hour awards ceremony, they will make their way to the Dolby Ballroom for the post-event gala. The guests will be welcomed with entrees like spicy tuna tartare, mini Kobe burgers with aged cheddar cheese, smoked salmon shaped like the Oscar statue with dill crème fraiche and caviar, shrimp fritters etc.4) The MenuAlong with Chef Matt Bencivenga, Puck has designed the menu of this year's event with 50 dishes. A flock of 950 staffers and 350 culinary members have been employed for assistance. One of the new dishes to be served this year is 'Wild Salmon with Ginger and Almonds'. The menu will include some of the favourite dishes of the top movie stars.Classic comfort food: Macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie and baked potatoes.
For the vegan guests: Taro root tacos with avocado and white bean quinoa cakes with roasted pepper. Just in case you're wondering what taro root is, it is a root vegetable that is nutty in flavour.5) 'At sea' with what to eat?The Academy lists that about 1,300 farmed oysters, 7,500 individual shrimp and 1,250 stone crab claws will be served for the seafood lovers to sink their teeth into. Also 50,000 lobsters and a thousand pounds of fish have been ordered so that there is no dearth of steamed fish and sashimi!6) The BarThe sparkling wine that will flow through the evening will be Champagne Thiénot. 13,000 glasses for beverages, 1,350 bottles of champagne and 2,400 bottles of sterling vineyards wine has been arranged for the guests to sip through the night!7) The Dessert StationThere no chance that your sweet tooth will go unsatisfied with a spread as decadent as this. To start off with there will be miniature Oscar statues made with chocolate and coated in 24k edible gold dust. About 10 pounds of edible gold will be used for this! Other desserts like chocolate dipped strawberry cheesecake pops and citrus panna cotta with 'funky chunky' chocolate popcorn will also be served. An array of 2,000 chocolate truffles, 1,200 cupcakes and 5,000 mini chocolate Oscars is to be prepared- how about that? Those who are vegans can enjoy desserts like vegan chocolate and carrot cupcakes, plus a gluten-free almond cream cupcake.8) The CakeThe cynosure of the night will be the Hollywood Marjolaine cake, a French layered cake with hazelnut sponge cake, coffee cream, and chocolate ganache to celebrate the Chef Wolfgang Puck's 20th year of association with the Governor's Ball.9) Behind-the-scenes: Raw materialsThe list of ingredients is endless...300 quarts of milk, 5,000 cage-free eggs, 250 pounds of organic sugar, 1,000 spiny lobsters, 1,200 Kumamoto Oysters, 18 kilograms of caviar etc.10) Time is money!According to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it will take about 2,100 hours to prepare and set up for an event of such grandeur.
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