For the very first time in its history, this year Turkish dishes will be the highlight of the after-party attended by world-famous movie stars and producers following the Academy Awards ceremony.
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who has been preparing the menu for the Oscar party, known as the Academy Awards Governors Ball, since 1995, decided to include Black Sea pide – baked leavened flatbreads made from wheat flour – and Creamy Apricot Dessert, both hallmarks of Turkish cuisine, on the menu of the party, thanks to the initiatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA).
The countdown has begun for the 94th Oscar Awards, one of the world's most prestigious awards. The award ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on the night of March 27 and the party organized after the award ceremony is one of the most curious events of the Oscar night.
"Turkey is one of the richest world cuisines thanks to its traditional recipes and organic products. There are many recipes and products to be discovered in Turkish cuisine. All seven regions of Turkey are full of flavor, history and culture. There are many cities with delicious food that must be visited in Turkey. My family and I love to visit Turkey every summer," Puck said.
Bronx-based culinary collective Ghetto Gastro will be helping Puck prepare Hollywood's biggest night.
In addition to new and intriguing entries to the menu from the likes of Turkish cuisine, some favorites will return to the curation, including smoked salmon Oscars and spicy tuna cones, according to the event's press release.
"Every year we look to find ways to keep things new, fresh and fun," said Puck. "The Oscars Governors Ball is an event where food, fashion, culture, cinema and music collide."
The Governors Ball will take place in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of Hollywood & Highland immediately following the Oscars broadcast.
The 72-year-old Austrian-American chef and restaurateur, has been dabbling in the business for nearly 50 years since he trained as an apprentice under Raymond Thuilier at L'Oustau de Baumaniere in Les Baux-de-Provence, at Hotel de Parisin Monaco, and at Maxim's Paris before moving to the United States in 1973 at the age of 24.
After two years at La Tour in Indianapolis, Puck moved to Los Angeles to become a chef and part-owner of Ma Maison restaurant. He published his first cookbook, "Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen," based on his Ma Maison recipes.
He opened his own restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982. A decade and a half later in 1997, Puck and Barbara Lazaroff, his ex-wife and business partner, moved the award-winning Spago to Beverly Hills.
Since the turn of the century, the restaurant has been recognized as one of the best in the United States, having engraved itself among the Top 40 restaurants list.
The famous chef has several companies, including Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc. and Wolfgang Puck Catering, all gathered together under Wolfgang Puck Companies, which encompass over 20 fine dining restaurants, premium catering services and kitchen and food merchandise, including cookbooks, canned foods and coffee products.
He has catered to the Academy Awards Governors Ball for almost 30 years.
