Recently, we discovered that every person nominated in the acting and directing Academy Award categories will leave the ceremony with swag bags worth over $100,000. Today, we took a look at the menu for 2018’s Oscars Governors Ball and realised even those who aren’t nominated at all are still getting a grand prize. Every one of the 1,500 invited guests who attend this year's official Oscars after-party will be able to try over 60 different fine-dining dishes, both large and small, hot and cold, sweet and savoury, made by Wolfgang Puck and his team. For food lovers, this is almost better than almost any swag bag, no matter how much it’s worth.
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Any nominee, presenter, or other guests who have attended an Oscars Governors Ball in the past 20 years will be no stranger to an extravagant meal crafted by Wolfgang Puck: He has long been the official caterer of the event. However, this year there is an extra offering that no one in the room will have ever tried. At the 90th annual Oscars Governors Ball, attendees will be offered Ruby Chocolate Strawberry and Cream as one of the several dessert options. The treat contains strawberry-hibiscus mousse, strawberry compote, vanilla sponge, mascarpone cream, and most importantly, Callebaut Ruby chocolate.
The special pink chocolate was introduced for the first time in September, and it won't even be available in the United States until later this year. Monica Ng, the executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering, Los Angeles, explained how she and her team came up with a dessert that would highlight this exciting new ingredient on Oscars night. "We looked for flavour pairings that play with the slight acidity, not wanting to mask the flavour. Red berries are a natural pairing, but my first thought was Rose Champagne. Our dessert incorporates Harry’s Berries strawberries, rose, and elderflower….the floral note adds balance."
Though this chocolate that has never before been served in the U.S. probably the cake as the most exciting part of this year's menu, there are several other mind-boggling statistics that have us wishing we could attend. Just ten elements in the feast come together to equal a price tag of almost $300,000, which kind of takes those $100,000 gift bags down a notch. Take a look:
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1,500 quail eggs: $1,725 ($1.50 per egg)
250 Maine lobsters: $3,125 ($12.50 a pound)
300 pounds of Miyazaki wagyu beef: $4,800 ($10 an ounce; $160 a pound)
100 pounds of Snake River Farms Gold Grade New York Filet: $9,200 ($5.75 an ounce; $92 a pound)
One ton of 70% Fleur de Cao Cacao Barry: $17,627.27 ($8.81 a pound)
35 pounds of winter black truffles from Burgundy: $27,994.40 ($49.99 an ounce; $799.84 a pound)
30 pounds of edible gold dust: $28,500 ($5.95 per 0.1 ounce; $59.50 an ounce; $950 a pound)
15 kilos (33 pounds) of American farm-raised caviar: $34,716 ($65.75 an ounce; $1,052 a pound)
2,400 bottles of Francis Ford Coppola wine : $64,800 ($27 a bottle)
1,500 bottles of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne: $149,955 ($99.97 a bottle)
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