Academy Announces 2015 Governors Ball Creative Team

Details

Category: Entertainment News

Published on Wednesday, 04 February 2015 07:47

Written by Janet Walker

Academy Governor Jeffrey Kurland, Event Producer Cheryl Cecchetto and Master Chef Wolfgang Puck will return to create this year's Governors Ball, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' official post-Oscar® celebration, which will immediately follow the 87th Oscars® ceremony on Sunday, February 22.  

Invited guests for the exclusive party include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and other telecast participants.  The hottest ticket in town, The Governors Ball maintain a limited guest list of 1500.

"The artistry and glamour that have truly defined Hollywood for decades will be highlighted at 87th Oscars Governors Ball," said Kurland.  "We've selected the most stunning imagery from the Academy's vast collections to set the stage for our guests.  The Academy will honor and share these timeless moments of a legacy that is in our blood and truly makes us who we are."

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," "Erin Brockovich," "Ocean's Eleven," "Inception," "Beautiful Creatures" and the upcoming "Tomorrowland."  He received an Oscar nomination for Costume Design for "Bullets over Broadway."  This will be Kurland's sixth year serving as Governors Ball chair.

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.  Sequoia Productions' clients include the Television Academy, G'Day USA, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Westfield and the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay.  This will be Cecchetto's 26th consecutive year producing the Governors Ball.

Master chef Wolfgang Puck and Matt Bencivenga, chef partner of Wolfgang Puck Catering, have drawn upon vintage and contemporary Hollywood glamour to create a menu that's both legendary and innovative.  The menu will feature more than 50 imaginative dishes, from one-bite hors d'oeuvres to small-plate entrees that will be passed throughout the evening. 

Guests will enjoy such signature Puck favorites as smoked salmon Oscars, chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles, and mini American Wagyu burgers with aged Cheddar. Puck also will present classic dishes re-imagined for Hollywood's big night, including lobster "BLT"; beet latkes with pastrami duck and apple mustard; and dover sole with orange miso vinaigrette. 

Appealing to diverse palates will be modern vegetarian dishes featuring local organic produce, such as parsnip soup with white chocolate, pears and 24k gold; and artichokes with asparagus, fava beans, baby beets and citrus vinaigrette.  This year's dynamic pastry team includes Della Gossett, Spago's executive pastry chef; Kamel Guechida, corporate director of pastry for the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group; and Jason Lemonnier, Los Angeles pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering. 

Together these chefs will create such innovative and elegant seasonal desserts as apple millefeuille with cider jelly, peanut butter strawberry lollipop, and milk chocolate panna cotta with raspberry and cherry, as well as Puck's traditional 24k gold chocolate Oscars.  CEO Carl Schuster directs more than 900 event staff through the detailed logistics and hospitality experience. This is Puck's 21st 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.

The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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