A Look Inside the Luxury Menu Waiting for A-Listers at the Oscars

The biggest night in Hollywood is not only about movies and awards. It is also about food. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is once again preparing the huge meal for the official after-party that follows the Academy Awards.

According to information shared during a recent press preview in Los Angeles, Puck and his team have created a massive menu for the event. The party will host around 1,500 guests, many of whom are some of the most famous actors and filmmakers in the industry.

To feed that crowd, the kitchen has planned more than 70 different dishes. Even though the event is known for luxury, the food is a mix of high-end items and comfort classics. Guests will once again find some of Puck’s most popular creations on the menu.

These include his well-known smoked salmon pizza, creamy macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie made with black truffle, and mini Wagyu beef sliders. This year also brings some new ideas to the table.

One of the additions is a live izakaya station where chefs will prepare Japanese-style pub dishes and fresh sushi in front of guests. Another feature is a premium Italian gelato machine that will serve frozen desserts during the celebration.

Puck explained during the preview that the main focus is not complicated cooking. Instead, he says the team concentrates on quality ingredients and simple preparation. “It’s all about the quality of the ingredients and the quality of the dishes,” Puck said while speaking to reporters.

“We have to cook for 1,500 people. We keep it simple. We don’t need 10 sauces with it.” He also admitted that while he sometimes experiments with new dishes, many celebrities always return to the same favorites year after year.

The classic comfort foods often disappear the fastest once the party begins. Preparing food for such a large group takes a huge amount of work behind the scenes. According to the event organizers, the operation involves 75 savory chefs, 45 pastry chefs, and more than 300 additional staff members helping with preparation and service.

The numbers behind the kitchen effort are just as big as the guest list. The team plans to prepare about 600 handmade pizzas, 3,000 portions of artichoke agnolotti, and around 2,000 miniature chocolate Oscars.

These chocolate statues are sprayed with edible 24-karat gold and have become a popular souvenir for guests at the party. While Puck continues to lead the famous Oscars kitchen, his business empire is also going through an important change.

According to announcements from the company, he recently passed leadership of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group to his son, Byron Lazaroff-Puck. Byron, who is now 26 years old, officially became president of the company on March 3.

He has been involved in the family restaurant business since he was a child. As part of the transition, he is currently organizing a special “Generational Tasting Tour” meant to highlight the history of the brand.

Puck himself is not stepping away from the culinary world. He continues to act as an ambassador for the company and is helping expand its restaurants internationally. New locations are planned in places including Austria.

Meanwhile, Hollywood is preparing for the upcoming ceremony itself. The 98th Academy Awards will take place this Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The event will once again be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.

As the film industry gathers to celebrate the year’s best movies, the food served after the show will be another major part of the night’s tradition. For many guests, the famous Oscars after-party meal has become just as anticipated as the awards themselves.

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