The official Oscars dinner is, as one would expect, a lavish affair. On Sunday night (12 March), Hollywood’s greatest stars will sit down around the table after the award winners have been announced and feast on all manner of culinary delights.
The evening will be attended by top nominees including Michelle Yeoh, Cate Blanchett, Tom Cruise, James Cameron, Austin Butler, Ana de Armas, and many more.
Feeding all those hungry mouths is veteran Oscars chef Wolfgang Puck, who is helming the menu for the 29th year. Puck has restaurants all over the world and will bring around 115 chefs from across his network for the event.
This year, the Austrian-American chef and restaurateur has commissioned British chef Elliott Grover to cook the keynote menu. Grover, executive chef of CUT restaurant at 45 Park Lane Hotel in London, is set to bring diners on a tour of British food, but in miniature.
He plans to serve up mini fish and chips, fried in beef drippings and served in a cone, so that attendees can eat while walking around and networking at the same time. Speaking to Vice, the chef said: “People will be celebrating so they’ll be more open to it and it’s only a four-biter. I might get away with it – maybe.”
Also on Grover’s menu are tiny chicken pies with black truffle shavings, and dessert is a trifle with sherry, topped with a maraschino cherry. Variety reports that the chef will also present his version of a beef wellington.
Alongside vice president of culinary, Eric Klein, Puck also revealed an array of new dishes, including vegan and vegetarian options. He told Variety: “We have five kinds of pasta, from agnolotti to pasta with truffles, vegan pizzas, the Chinese-spiced, Hunan eggplant over rice and a vegetarian version of West Hollywood’s Merois restaurant’s crispy rice crab salad.”
Wine Enthusiast magazine also reports that small plates will be served, including everything bagel macarons with smoked salmon and sorrel – which appears to be a nod to A24’s Everything, Everywhere All At Once, which has picked up 10 nominations, including star Yeoh for Best Actress and Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor.
The small plates also include “Asian-style fried chicken” with pandan leaf-coconut waffles, perhaps a tribute to Yeoh’s Malaysian heritage. There will also be a crispy rice bar with tartare, carved fish and fruit sushi.
Everything will be washed down with rosé champagne by Fleur de Miraval, which is co-owned by Brad Pitt. The champagne, which costs nearly $400 a bottle, makes its second appearance at the Oscars in a row after it replaced Piper-Heidsieck as the official champagne of the awards in 2022, after a seven-year stint.
Fleur de Miraval came into being when Pitt and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie collaborated with Perrins, from Chateau de Beaucastel, to produce the bubbly wine. According to Wine Enthusiast, around 20,000 bottles of Fleur de Miraval are produced each year, and 1,000 were reserved for the Oscars.
Other alcoholic drinks that will be sipped on throughout the evening are still wines by Domaine Clarence Dillon – a winery in Bordeaux owned by Prince Robert of Luxembourg, who is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg.
Don Julio tequila will be used to shake up cocktails for the big day. Mixologist Charles Joly, who has been the official mixologist of the Oscars since 2016, and his team will be pouring out margaritas, Palomas and tequila martinis for the guests.
