Evan Funke Prepares the Menu at Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party This Weekend

Mother Wolf and Felix’s Evan Funke has nabbed the coveted spot as official chef for the Vanity Fair Oscar party this weekend. The dinner is a key part of the activities surrounding the 94th annual Academy Awards, which airs at 5 p.m. on March 27.

In past years, chefs like Wolfgang Puck, French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, and Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm designed the menus for the invite-only event. Vanity Fair hasn’t used a Los Angeles-based chef for some time, even though the ceremony is held at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood & Highland. Funke will prepare food for the viewing party dinner and the after-party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

Funke also has a personal connection to the Oscars. He previously cooked at six Governor’s Balls with Puck and attended the Oscars with his father Alex Funke. The elder Funke won two Best Visual Effects Oscars for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Another prominent LA chef secures a menu prep spot at Coachella

Once a year, Coachella organizers coordinate a big dinner before the event called The Night Before Coachella dinner. And this year, they tapped Antico Nuovo chef Chad Colby to cook his signature rustic Italian-style in the desert.

The impact of mask and vaccine mandate changes throughout LA County

It’s been incredibly difficult over the last two years for restaurants and workers. The Los Angeles Times tracked how SoCal workers and owners navigate the often confusing and contradictory guidance from the state, county, and local officials.

Robbery in Mid-Wilshire

The longstanding Fortune House Chinese Cuisine was robbed last Tuesday. CBS-2 reports the alleged perpetrators performed a smash-and-grab in the Mid-Wilshire restaurant.

A tribute to Knott’s Berry Farm

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival runs through April 26 in Buena Park, and the LA Times wrote up about the annual event which always includes a pie-eating contest.