Governors Ball preview: What to expect from the official Oscars after-party
Wolfgang Puck flew in 300 pounds of wagyu beef from Japan for the event.
— -- The Academy Awards are often heralded as "Hollywood's big night," so it's only fitting that the ceremony is capped by a lavish after-party hosted by the academy's Board of Governors.
About 1,500 guests, including Oscar winners, nominees, presenters, have been invited to the Governors Ball, which has been curated by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who put together a menu for the event, academy governor Lois Burwell, and event producer Cheryl Cecchetto.
This year's celebration will honor the 90th anniversary of the Oscars by featuring nods to film history throughout the venue, including artifacts from classic films, Oscars statuettes from decades past and behind-the-scenes footage from movies of all kinds.
"You'll be entering through a marquee, so it'll look like a cinema. So you go in, and then at the heart of it are going to be the cases of Oscars from the vaults. They're at the heart and they represent the beating heart of the film industry," Burwell told ABC News. "[The artifacts] basically represent all forms of filmmaking. It's to celebrate all the crafts -- those who in Academy Awards and those who don't!"
Puck, who has catered the event for more than two decades, told ABC News that for the first time, he'll feature rare Miyazaki wagyu beef, which he ordered three years ago from farmers in Japan.
"It's really an amazing piece of meat. You don't need a knife to cut it!" he gushed. "It melts in your mouth."
He'll also be serving classics from years past, including smoked salmon Oscars, truffle macaroni and cheese, and mini-chicken potpies. And of course, cooking for a crowd means ordering a lot of ingredients. Puck's team will serve 7,500 individual shrimp, 400 homemade signature pizzas, 2,375 house-made pretzel bites and 2,550 cocktail-flavored macarons.
"We ordered [about] 40 pounds of caviar," he added. "Everybody will get their caviar!"
Guests will wash down the food with Piper-Heidsieck champagne, Francis Ford Coppola wines and specialty cocktails from Don Julio tequila.
Florist Mark Held of Mark's Garden is handling event's floral arrangements, which will combine succulents with 5,00 garden roses and ranunculus from South America, Holland and California. The succulents will then be donated to the Motion Picture Television Retirement Home just outside of Los Angeles, where they will be replanted.