Chef Wolfgang Puck readies caviar, gold dust for Oscars feast

[March 02, 2018]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three-hundred pounds of Miyazaki Wagyu beef will be sliced, 1,500 quail eggs cracked and some 1,400 champagne corks popped as Hollywood's stars dine on chef Wolfgang Puck's recipes after the Oscars are handed out on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Puck, the celebrity chef in his 24th year preparing the post-Academy Awards feast, on Thursday unveiled his menu for the annual Governor's Ball that will serve up 30 pounds (13.6 kg) of edible gold dust to 1,500 guests of A-listers and Oscar winners.

"We are really all of us excited, and I really think for us it's always very special," the 68-year-old Austrian-born Puck said.

Diners will be treated to more than 50 dishes, including small-plate entrees such as mini pea and carrot ravioli with black truffle, a raw bar featuring caviar parfait with 24-karat gold, and cocktail-inspired macarons like negroni and mojito.

The event will require a staff of more than 1,000 to prepare food, serve 800 stone crab claws and pour more than 10,900 glasses of wine from director Francis Ford Coppola's winery.

Puck, who also included vegan and gluten-free fare such as spinach campanelle and tiny taro tacos, approached the event with his trademark enthusiasm, cracking a raspberry dessert with a spoon while declaring sweets his "most important thing"

"As long as the Oscars is not tired of me, I'm not tired of Oscar," Puck said with a grin.

(Reporting by Aron Ranen; Writing by Eric Kelsey)

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