Who is the Oscars chef that celebrities love?

Ceremony The Oscars 2023which took place this year on March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Ovation Hollywood, in Los Angeles, was full of extravagance. For example, the materials used to make i Awards It was made using Ebner’s technology, the same technology as NASA’s hardware, and then covered in 24-karat gold.

However, the best is to be able to see your brand in between Beautiful bagsAnd The bags – or rather the suitcases – that were donated to the award nominees. worth? This year it was about $123,000 to the purse, according to CNBC Make ItThe awards were selected by the US Distinctive Assets Agency.

Gastronomic successes

But the other aspect that matters at the Oscars is action Gastronomy, always paying particular attention to the menu. since 1994, Wolfgang Puck He is the official chef for the Governor’s Post-Oscar Awards Dinner. Bok is the favorite chef of many celebrities such as Tom CruiseAnd Denzel WashingtonAnd Nicole Kidmanwho frequent more than 20 restaurants.

Among them is Spago Beverly Hills, which has two Michelin stars, Chinois Santa Monica, CUT, a restaurant brand with offices in Beverly Hills, Bahrain, New York, London and Singapore. Finally, the meeting point for stars before and after the Oscars is also The Bar & Lounge at Hotel Bel Air.

the job

But the success of Puck, who was born in Austria, at Sankt Veil an der Glan in 1949, rests on turning his culinary business into an empire, starting the three companies Wolfgang Puck CompaniesWolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. and Wolfgang Puck Catering. So Bok made his name A.A Brandstardom.

He has been involved for years in very popular TV series, movies and TV shows such as Frasier, Hell’s Kitchen and Masterchef, and has his own homogenous show on the channel Food NetworkHe is the author of cookbooks and culinary arts. He even has his own line of kitchen products, tableware and other accessories, which he founded in 2016 Wolfgang Puck School. Among its most popular and best-selling products are Estate Grown Organic Coffee and Wolfgang’s All-Natural and Organic Soups.

favor

Puck married Marie-France Troy in 1975 and divorced in 1980. With his second wife, Barbara Lazaroff, with whom he has two children, he collaborated on the interior design of his restaurants and co-founded the Wolfgang Puck brand. After the divorce in 2003, he married designer Jalila Assefa, with whom he also had two children, with whom he developed a passion for philanthropy, and co-founded Bok Lazarov Charitable Foundation. The latter hosts the annual American Wine and Food Festival, which supports Los Angeles Meals-on-Wheels programming.

Awards have been received

The chef has won numerous awards, including the James Beard Foundation Award for Chef of the Year multiple times and in 2017 had his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is currently the fifth richest chef in the world according to FinancesOnline. The Governors Ball is indeed a thing, a triumph of exuberance and glamour, and the quintessential Oscars event.

the Oscars list

the event list It includes among other things the capacity of 120 cooks, 300 people in the kitchen, 600 staff between service and bartenders. Then using 400 pounds of smoked salmon, 100 pounds of Yukon potatoes, 65 pounds of Miyazaki Wagyu beef, 2,500 Indian paper, 5 gallons of chickpeas, 300 balls of pizza dough, and 300 pounds of sushi ahi tuna. “I am proud that nothing goes to waste. At the end of the evening, whatever is not used is donated to the Chefs Association to End Hunger and the leftovers are instead composted,” Buck explains. As for drinks, they range from bubbles of Fleur de Miraval, the pink champagne produced by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, to cocktails with Don Julio tequila, among them the Director’s Martini and Showtime Margarita. The Governors Ball takes place inside the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top floor of Ovation Hollywood.

The chef told us about his journey to success.

I’ve been the chef at Governors Ball for 29 years. Celebrities love to cook.

Some of them don’t often recognize me, others do. Like Ariana Grande, who once asked me to take a picture with her. Sir Anthony Hopkins loves to hug me when we meet. My relationship with Hollywood is somewhat An ongoing love letter.

Wolfgang Puck Catering celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and has collected many success stories. Instead of contemplating a sit-down dinner, we preferred to prefer trays with snacks from different dishes. We chose popular dishes such as fish and chips, beef tenderloin and sherry truffles for dessert. However, our classics include chicken pot pie, macaroni cacio e pepe, smoked salmon, cut in the shape of the famous figurine, and an array of miniature chocolates.

What is the favorite dish of celebrities usually?

Contrary to what people think, he often loves celebrities comfort food, so the chicken pie and mac and cheese are always favorites. For example, it was shown that Barbra Streisand and the Prince of Monaco are in love Chicken pot pieViola Davis is a big fan of pasta. Joaquin Phoenix loves our selection of vegetarian dishes. I must say that everyone is always fascinated by chocolate miniatures at the Oscars. Then our secret is to always be prepared for all eventualities, such as those with food intolerances and allergies. We also have vegetarian, fish, vegan, and gluten-free dishes. Offering snacks is ideal in this sense, because you can improvise until the last minute.

How did you become passionate about cooking?

I started cooking when I was 12 years old with my mother, who was adept at the art of pastry making. He encouraged me to start training in this field at the age of 14. I have worked in large French restaurants. When I was in Provence, Raymond Thuillier at L’Oustau de Baumaniere became my teacher. I was 19 years old, and since then I have always looked forward.

How would you describe your kitchen? You are known for perfectly blending classic French techniques with Californian and Asian influences.

My gastronomic style has influences from all over the world, especially from the United States, a country with different cultures. Then my cooking philosophy is to use only the best ingredients. I teach all of my chefs this, so that they can achieve the best results for all dishes in our restaurants.

The professional turning point occurred in the United States, where many famous people discovered his talent.

The United States was the land of great opportunity. Spago opened in 1982 and was an instant success and still does great to this day. This allowed me to open many other places such as those inside the Bel-Air Hotel or CUT restaurants in New York and DC, which later became a global brand.

What places do you feel most connected to?

I love the energy of New York, but LA is my home. I am convinced that Los Angeles is one of the best megacities in the world, thanks to its entertainment, music and arts industries. For example, I was inside the Bel-Air Hotel, met many famous people there, and here I was allowed to make a menu that was a mixture of tradition and innovation. Many dishes like Chicken pot pie Wienerschnitzel has been included on the menu, which is always appreciated. With others we have more experiences. This will be my future vision: innovation is now fundamental in what I consider the art of gastronomy, but without forgetting my roots.

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