Golden Globes goes vegan

Leonardo DiCaprioThe 77th annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday made history by becoming the first major awards show to go vegan. Every year, the chefs at the Beverly Hilton are tasked with feeding Hollywood’s finest at the Golden Globes: this year, the guest list includes Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Eddie Murphy, to name a few. So what do you serve a ballroom with so much star-power? Matthew Morgan, Executive Chef has an answer: vegan cuisine.

The menu was inspired: an appetizer of chilled golden beet soup—a perfect accompaniment to those gleaming statuettes. This was followed by a main course of King Oyster Mushroom scallops that, at least visually, are dead ringers for their pescatarian counterparts. The entrée was accompanied with wild mushroom risotto, Brussels sprouts, globe carrots, and pea tendrils. Dessert was a vegan opera dome with praline Gunaja crumble and caramelized hazelnuts.

Joaquin Phoenix noncommThe vegan menu was the brainchild of actor Joaquin Phoenix, who also took home the best actor in a drama award for his performance in Joker. “First I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change, it’s a very bold move, making tonight plant-based,” he said during his acceptance speech.

Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who helped organize the event said, “The decision to serve an entirely plant-based meal was embraced by our partners at the Beverly Hilton, and represents a small step in response to a big problem. By serving a 100% plant-based meal, we’re hoping to raise awareness around small changes that can have a great impact.”