FOOD NEWS
What Old Hollywood Ate At The Very First Academy Awards
By Natasha Brooks
There is no doubt that the Academy Awards have evolved over the years, and even though their ratings and popularity have been on the decline, the ceremony remains a timeline marker of social history. No matter how nostalgic you may be for Old Hollywood, the evolution of its dinner menu since the first show is something everyone can get behind.
Guests at the first Academy Awards in 1929 were served broiled chicken on toast and sautéed filet of sole with a side of string beans and French fries, followed by cake and chocolate or vanilla ice cream. It’s safe to say that Old Hollywood may still retain some of its golden charm, but its food culture was lacking.
Many early Academy Award dinners were equally bland, but as Hollywood has grown more diverse, so has the dinner menu. Since the ‘90s, Wolfgang Puck has become the Oscars' go-to chef, and nowadays, in addition to the fixed menu, celebrities can provide the chefs with their dinner requests.