What the Stars will be Eating and Drinking

O'Brien will be hosting the 98th Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards is tomorrow and everyone is gearing up for the big event. Pundits are guessing who will win the coveted golden statuettes, will winners make political statements that will rile up the American president, and who will wear which designer outfit. The best dressed list will be compiled, and definitely who wore it the worst with endless memes to come.

After the awards show hosted by Conan O'Brien, the celebrities will head to the Governors Ball, where newly minted Academy Award winners get their names engraved on their Oscars, while everyone else can finally cheat on their months-long diets and workouts and gorge on real food.

Puck (left) with Miyazaki beef

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck (who I had the opportunity to interview back in 2019) has been busy getting the food ready for the ball. He has a lot of experience catering for this event -- his 32nd consecutive year, which is no easy feat.

"We make 25,000 small plates," he said, adding the celebs can have Japanese food, Austrian food and the best steak -- Miyazaki beef "with Ozempic instead of spinach" if they prefer.

He will make 1,200 of his traditional chicken pot pies that require 22kg of black truffle, and there will also be 32kg of caviar, 1,000 plates of macaroni and cheese, and more than 91kg of tomahawk steak.

If guests still prefer to eat more healthy, they can have sushi rolls and nigiri.

When it comes to alcoholic drinks, Piper-Heidsieck is the champagne of choice, or Dassai sake, and wines from Domaine Clarence Dillon.

Hong Kong's Antinori will make cocktails

For stars looking for cocktails, they will be in good hands with movie-themed drinks created by Hong Kong-based bartender Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone, which was crowned the No. 1 bar by World's 50 Best. 

Antinori has been non-stop since opening Bar Leone in 2023, with a second one in Shanghai, and together with Simone Caporale (who I interviewed in 2018) have a Cuban-themed bar called Montana.

Last year Antinori flew into Vancouver for like two days to make drinks for North America's World's 50 Best Bars awards.

Now he's in Los Angeles making Don Julio tequila cocktails for the stars. What a ride.

Andiamo!