PUTTING ON THE GLITZ ... NATURALLY GOVERNORS BALL AN EVENING IN TUSCANY, WITH ALL ORGANIC FARE.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

The Governors Ball, the gala following the 79th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 25, is going organic (food-wise) and more relaxed this year. It will feature an array of beautiful food buffets (no formal plated dinner) -- and no assigned seating.

After entering the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center adjacent to the theater, guests will step into a Tuscan countryside through a wrought-iron archway featuring a canopy of woven vines and draped ivy for elegant Mediterranean al fresco supper dining.

The ballroom will be divided into five pavilions, each with a pergola lined with woven vines, flowers and ivy, with a different color palette -- burgundy, blue, sage, gold or brown -- and unique accent lighting.

The main buffet, tray-passed appetizers, tapas, sushi and seafood stations -- more varieties of food than ever -- will be orchestrated for the 13th year by chef Wolfgang Puck, who showcased many of the foods at a sneak preview last week.

The menu -- seafood, meat, poultry and produce -- will reflect his passion for locally grown, sustainable and organic ingredients as well as humanely treated products.

``The kitchen is going to be in the dining room this year,'' Puck noted, adding that there will be 14 interactive kitchens -- where chefs will be cooking in front of and for the guests -- and the smells will be wafting through the air. There will be 800 servers and others working in the dining room that evening -- and 350 people in the kitchen, he added.

A ton of food -- literally

Puck and his team will be serving 800 pounds of chicken, 1,200 pounds of lobster, 40 pounds of black truffles and 20 pounds of white truffles. They will be smoking 60 sides of salmon for the must-have traditional Smoked Salmon Oscars With French Farm-Raised Osetra Caviar.

``I really wanted to do a 360 (degree) this year and wanted the atmosphere to be extremely comforting,'' said Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, which is producing the Governors Ball for the 18th consecutive year. She wanted to transport guests to a beautiful, extraordinary setting.

With the open format, guests will be able to move around freely, mingle and celebrate with their friends. Buffets and bars will be stationed throughout the room for easy service.

With no assigned tables, guests can choose from a variety of different seating configurations -- club seating with banquettes, lounge seating with coffee tables, stand-up tables, bar stools and more traditional tables and chairs -- while enjoying Puck's cuisine.

For dessert, pastry chef Sherry Yard will present a sweet table offering a variety of finger-food selections, among them Meyer Lemon Bars, Ginger Fudge Bars, Caramel Truffles, Dark Truffles, Pistachio Almond Paves, Passion Fruit Macaroons, Rainbow Cookies, Rookie Cookies and more.

Yard is making 200 two-pound Valrhona organic bittersweet chocolate Oscar statuettes with 24-karat gold dust blown on them to decorate the platters. As is traditional, she's also preparing 3,000 smaller chocolate Oscars for guests to take home.

Highlighting the entertainment will be saxophonist Dave Koz.

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) This year's post-Academy Awards Governors Ball will feature all organic foods. Chef Wolfgang Puck and his team will be cooking in front of the guests in a variety of locations in the Grand Ballroom, and because there will be no assigned seats, guests can relax and mingle as they desire.

(2 -- color) Puck with some of the 1,200 pounds of lobsters he will be serving at this year's post-Oscars Governors Ball. This is the 13th year Puck has orchestrated the menu for this star-studded event.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer