Caviar and comfort food on the menu for A-listers on Oscars night

By Hanna Rantala

LOS ANGELES, March 10 (Reuters) - Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has prepared a feast of more than 70 dishes for film stars and movie-makers at Sunday's Governors Ball, held after the Oscars ceremony.

Puck and his team, in charge of the official Oscars after-party catering for the 32nd time, have put together a menu that offers 1,500 A-listers tastes from around the world.

A live izakaya station, or Japanese-style pub, and an Italian gelato machine whipping up fresh ice cream will be among the novel offerings, along with popular staples that feature year after year.

"Comfort food is always the people's favorite food, like our chicken pot pie, smoked salmon pizza, our macaroni and cheese or the mini Wagyu burgers," Puck said at a preview event on Tuesday.

Trying to be innovative did not always pay off, he added.

"I did some parties saying, 'I'm tired of making the pizzas,' and they ate our stuff and they said, 'Wolfgang, where's your pizza station?'"

The glamorous guests are often famished by the time they arrive at the post-Oscars bash, Puck said.

"It's all about the quality of the ingredients and the quality of the dishes," he said. "We have to cook for 1,500 people. We keep it simple. We don't need 10 sauces with it."

Putting together the banquet requires 75 savory chefs, 45 pastry chefs and 325 front of house staff and managers, Puck added.

They will be responsible for some 600 home-made pizzas, 3,000 artichoke agnolotti and 2,000 mini chocolate Oscars.

Puck estimates the kitchen gets through about 200 pounds (91 kg) of dry-aged ribeye, 300 pounds (136 kg) of house-smoked salmon, 30 pounds (14 kg) of Kaluga caviar, 500 pounds (227 kg)of wild mushrooms, 200 pounds (91 kg) of Nishiki rice and 400 pounds (181 kg) of cheeses.

There's also two gallons of 24K liquid gold - put to use at a chocolate Oscar spraying station.