What do you eat at the Oscars? Macaroni and cheese, 37 desserts and a menu cooked by 120 chefs

No one eats at the Oscars. Let’s start at the beginning. At the Oscars you have to arrive hours in advance, sit in the Dolby Theatre, chat with the person seated beside you, fit into a dress or a millimetrically designed suit (for those lucky enough) and not let a single crumb fall on your outfit. The show lasts more than three and a half hours. At one of the world’s most famous awards ceremonies, there is no food.

There are seats for around 3,000 spectators who, if they get the chance, can go to the mezzanines for some water or a cocktail, because while food is not served, alcohol is. And what about food? That happens later. As soon as the award ceremony ends, all the winners, nominees and guests go to the Academy Awards Governors Ball, the official awards party where whoever is the new owner of a statuette can have it engraved with their name. And all while eating some slices of freshly cut ham.

The official menu and design of the Governors Ball, which is celebrating its 65th year, was revealed on Tuesday. The event will take place in a large space with a circular bar and a gigantic Oscar statue in the center, with tables, sofas and chairs placed informally around the room. American-Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck — who is leading a brigade of 120 chefs — will serve an extensive menu, including Iberian ham from Cinco Jotas, which was handpicked by Puck. “Nobody makes ham like the Spanish, and Cinco Jotas does it best,” said the chef, who has been in charge of the event’s menu for 30 years.

With so many dishes and so many guests — a list that includes the likes of Martin Scorsese, Margot Robbie, Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone — large quantities of food are required: 90 kilos of smoked salmon, chicken, beef and sea bass, nearly 75 liters of soy sauce, 27 kilos of mushrooms, 18 kilos of shrimp and cauliflower, 100 ducks and a thousand bao buns.

To start, Puck and his chefs will assemble 10 canapés that will be passed around by his catering team. These dishes include spicy tuna tartare with sesame and miso, steak tartare with potato pavé, vegetarian dishes such as honey butter toast, whipped crème fraîche, and vegan dishes like edamame mushroom carrot potsticker. And of course, there will be miniature waygyu burgers with sharp cheddar and assorted signature pizzas. It’s Los Angeles, after all.

Afterward, there will be small plates: two of them cold (a beet salad, goat cheese and citrus shallot vinaigrette; and a falafel salad with green chickpeas, herbs, coconut labneh and lemon vinaigrette) and several hot, such as macaroni and cheese, but refined in the cacio e pepe style, as well as smaller hamburgers, black truffle chicken, wagyu with celery-apple puree and yuzu ponzu grilled sea bass with marinated artichokes and Veracruz sauce. The vegetarian options include pea agnolotti.

What’s more, Puck has created five small plate stations, each with different dishes: Fish and Chips, with dishes such as prawn cocktail roll with caviar roast beef; Crispy Rice Bar, a Japanese-themed station with an assortment of sushi; Chinos on Main, that will serve crispy wonton noodles, carved duck with steamed bao bun and lamb rack; and Wood Fire Pizza Oven, which will offer five different pizza options.

The fifth station is called Mezze Grazing Table and Paella Bar, and is the most varied, offering 14 dishes. That’s where the Iberian ham will be served, along with tortilla with romesco and tear drop peppers beet hummus; marinated olives with rosemary, orange zest; and two paellas: one vegetarian, the other with chicken, clams, mussels... and chorizo. There’s also hummus, eggplant babaganoush, jalapeño-marinated feta pomegranate quinoa salad and pita bread.

Then it’s time for sweets. Here both Puck and his dessert designers, Kamel Guechida and Garry Larduinat, have not held back, putting together 37 creations. There is an immense variety, from classic desserts such as dark chocolate éclair and chocolate ganache to more exotic offerings such as yuzu and coconut pillow cake and Tahitian vanilla Chantilly and raspberry cheesecake.

There, just as guests are loosening their pants, is more on offer. First, half a dozen mendiants (bits of melted and hardened chocolate with fruit and other chocolates on top) and Gran Marnier chocolate cigars and Noir Reserve dark chocolate.

And then, more traditional sweets: apple pie, waffles covered with chocolate and Speculaas, chocolate and lemon cookies.... There are also croffles in five different flavors: with ice cream, coffee, cookies, fruit... And of course, to top it all off, there are mini-Oscars statuettes, with either dark chocolate filled with ganache, milk chocolate or dulce de leche. The Oscars after all are the stars of the night, whether or not they are copper, or made from delicious chocolate.

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