As most of the country headed back to work with a slow Monday morning, event professionals in Los Angeles were charging full-speed ahead with award season preparations.
Such labors were on display as part of the Beverly Hilton hotel’s annual Golden Globes menu preview event for international media. Staff on property unveiled the tabletop and culinary offerings for the 1,300 invited guests of the 73rd annual awards, slated to take over the hotel on January 10.
The Beverly Hilton’s executive chef, Troy N. Thompson, is creating the meal for the awards, which will include a three-course menu. A California market salad featuring eggplant, bok choy, daikon, lotus, and mustard—more vegetables than lettuce this year—will serve as the appetizer. The entrées of filet of beef with marinara crust and slow-roasted black garlic steelhead trout with spaghetti squash, fried capers, and sweet potatoes will follow. There will also be a vegetarian alternative: salt-baked heirloom sweet potatoes with creamed corn glaze with a fricassee of winter vegetables.
Dessert, created by executive pastry chef Thomas Henzi, will include a trio of treats, including lemon mousseline croquantine, California almond cake, and carmella, a flourless confection made with Grand Marnier. Of course, in honor of the occasion, a golden ring will decorate the mousse. “We want to keep the portions small so they’re fun to eat,” Henzi said of his trifold creations. He also said chocolate and golden details are annual must-have elements.
This year, Moët & Chandon will also celebrate a milestone as part of the awards: The brand will mark 25 years as the event’s official champagne. To establish the 2016 cocktail, Moët & Chandon hosted a competition, in which local mixologist Karen Grill took the top prize for her creation. The Moët Ruby Red, a modern take on a French 75 cocktail and an homage to The Wizard of Oz, includes lemon juice, tarragon, raspberry, vodka, citrus shrub, and Moët & Chandon Imperial. Moët & Chandon also developed and debuted a custom 25th anniversary champagne caddy outfitted with the same limited-edition “Festive so Bubbly” mini bottles that the stars will sip as they step onto the awards’ red carpet.
As for this year’s floral look, Mark’s Garden will create a combination of vivid, highly contrasting colors to coordinate with the platinum and gold accents of the stage decor. Owner Mark Held is flying in nearly 10,000 blooms from Holland and South America days ahead of the show. He said the look should “create a nice vibrancy for the TV cameras.” The arrangements will include four different varieties of gold and green roses, with hydrangea and hyacinth in deep shades of lavender, and purple Vanda orchids, set in glass cylinders wrapped with platinum fabric.
The Beverly Hilton has been home to the Golden Globes for 41 consecutive years, and 45 times total. Ricky Gervais will return as host of the award show, which will be broadcast live coast to coast on NBC and seen in 210 countries around the world.
