Chef
Wolfgang Puck's 19th consecutive year creating the menu for the Governors Ball with Chef Partner Matt Bencivenga and Pastry Chef Sherry Yard
BEVERLY
HILLS, CA (January 22, 2013) – Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland, event producer
Cheryl Cecchetto and Master Chef Wolfgang Puck will return to create
this year's Governors Ball, the Academy's official post-Oscar® celebration,
which will immediately follow the 85th Academy Awards® ceremony on Sunday,
February 24. The 1,500 guests of the Governors Ball include Academy Award®
winners and nominees, show presenters and other telecast participants.
As
the chair of the Governors Ball, Kurland will oversee the décor, menu and
entertainment planning, as well as design the attire to be worn by the
evening's staff. Kurland is an acclaimed costume designer whose feature credits
include "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Radio Days," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "My
Best Friend's Wedding," "Erin Brockovich," "Ocean's Eleven," "Collateral," "Law
Abiding Citizen," "Inception," "The Dictator" and the upcoming "Beautiful
Creatures." He received an Oscar nomination for Costume Design for "Bullets
over Broadway." This will be Jeffrey Kurland's fourth year serving as the chair
of the Governors Ball.
Cecchetto,
along with her Sequoia Productions team, will work with Kurland to manage every
detail pertaining to the event, including décor, entertainment, food and personnel.
Guests will celebrate the night under a sparkling 120-foot chandelier in an
intimate ballroom designed in warm shades of aubergine, chartreuse and
champagne. An 18-foot golden Oscar will be the centerpiece of the ballroom
floor. This will be Cecchetto's 24th consecutive year producing the Governors
Ball. Sequoia Productions' clients include The Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences, G'Day USA – Australia Week, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and
Westfield.
Puck,
along with chef Matt Bencivenga, will create the menu featuring more than 50
imaginative dishes, from one-bite hors d'oeuvres to small-plate entrees that
will be passed throughout the evening. The menu, which includes such signature
favorites as smoked salmon Oscars®, chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles,
and mini Kobe burgers with aged cheddar and remoulade, will incorporate local
produce and sustainable seafood. Modern presentations such as Japanese baby
peach salad, steamed red snapper with Thai spice, and tuna Niçoise style with
green olives, will add excitement, while diverse vegan dishes including kale
salad with grilled artichoke and lemon vinaigrette, beluga lentils with
cauliflower and baby vegetables, and farro with apple, beet and spiced walnut
are a new focus. Elegant seasonal desserts, featuring ribbons of shaved ice
cream and Concord grape, are inspired by the Ball décor. This will be Puck's
19th consecutive year creating the menu for the Governors Ball.
The
Governors Ball will take place in The Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of
the Hollywood & Highland Center® immediately following the Oscar telecast.
Oscars
for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February
24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be
hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar
presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
###
ABOUT
THE ACADEMY
The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent
movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most
accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy
Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy
presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events;
provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations
and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture
technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive,
collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related
to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves
students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love
movies.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Pamela Brunson 213-621-2991 / pamela.brunson@wolfgangpuck.com
Teni
Melidonian 310-247-3090/tmelidonian@oscars.org
Gary
Levitt 310-836-3685 / gary@sequoiaprod.com
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