The Japan Times - Caviar, truffle and chicken pot pies: what Hollywood will eat at the Oscars

They will be washed down with thousands of bottles of tequila and champagne at the Governors Ball, where newly minted Academy Award winners get their statuettes engraved while fellow A-listers feast, dance and gossip.

"We make 25,000 small plates," said Wolfgang Puck, the celebrity chef who is returning to take charge of the party's menu for a 32nd consecutive year.

"You can have Japanese food, you can have Austrian food, you can have always the best steak," the Austrian-born restaurateur told AFP, as he seared a juicy tomahawk at a Tuesday press preview event.

At a time when diet pills are ubiquitous in Los Angeles, Puck joked that Tinseltown's famously weight-obsessed stars can have their Miyazaki beef "with Ozempic instead of spinach" if they prefer.

Quantities matter at a party of this scale: Puck anticipated that 1,200 of his traditional chicken pot pies will require 50 pounds (22 kilograms) of black truffle, served alongside 70 pounds of caviar, 1,000 plates of macaroni and cheese, and more than 200 pounds of tomahawk steak.

A new sushi station will feature five chefs preparing handrolls and nigiri.

Piper-Heidsieck champagne and Dassai sake will be served along with wines from Domaine Clarence Dillon -- and movie-themed Don Julio tequila cocktails.

This year's offerings include the "Best in Show," the "Golden Cut Margarita," the "Maestro Martini" and "The Sequel," made with gold vanilla edible paint streaked along the side.

These are the Mexican and Italian-inspired creations of Lorenzo Antinori, co-founder of Hong Kong's world-renowned Bar Leone, who has been flown in for the event.

As usual, dessert will be accompanied by thousands of golden chocolate statuettes, ensuring everyone can take an Oscar home.

"I think the reason why people love them so much is because it's so hard to get a real Oscar, right?" chef Garry Larduinat told AFP.

"So having one made of chocolate, being able to take it home and be like 'I was there,' that's very special. It's unique," he said.

"This is the only place you can get one."

S.Suzuki--JT