Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, which will be aired live on September 18. This year, the Emmys celebration will set a new record with three separate balls over back-to-back weekends! The Television Academy will host its exclusive Emmy after-party celebrations: the Governors Ball, the nation’s largest formal sit-down dinner for 4,000-plus entertainment industry luminaries on September 18 immediately following the Emmy Awards; and, for the first time ever, back-to-back Creative Arts Balls on September 10 and September 11.
In response to the explosive growth in television, the Television Academy expanded the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony to two consecutive nights – each with its own ball. In total, some 8,000 guests will be wined and dined in magnificent style in the trio of gala events. With the celebratory bar being raised higher than ever, the Television Academy Governors Ball Committee has entrusted Patina Catering, Sterling Vineyards, and Sequoia Productions with the essential elements for the Governors Ball and Creative Arts Balls.
With this year’s theme Nature’s Elegance, the trio of events has been a full year in the making to create a singular celebratory experience amidst the splendor of a romantic, nighttime garden designed by Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions. Inspired both by the beauty of old world gardens and the natural grandeur of the California landscape, decor elements include suspended canopies of cascading lilac, wisteria and ivy; a winding central pathway bordered by lush plants and grasses; rustic walls draped with foliage; and, flickering “firefly” lighting illuminating the room. As soon as each year’s Governors Ball is complete, development begins on a new and original theme that will transform the cavernous West Hall of the LA Convention Center into a magical oasis. Notable past themes have included “Kaleidoscope of Color,” “Starry, Starry Night,” “Mod Illusions,” and “Reigning with Radiance.”
Guests at the Governors Ball will toast with super premium wines from Sterling Vineyards, one of the most visited wineries in Napa Valley and known for crafting world-class wines. The Governors Ball wine menu will include Sterling 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 Sauvignon Blanc and 2013 Chardonnay. Emmy winners will sip 2012 Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon while having their statuettes personalized in the Governors Ball Winner’s Circle and will also receive a bottle of Sterling Vineyards’ flagship wine, Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon, encased in a specially-engraved and personalized gift box.
Patina Catering returns as the official caterer of the Governors Ball for the 21st year. Promising to present an elegant ingredient-driven dinner, the catering team worked closely with local foragers and farmers for nearly a year to develop a from-the-earth menu that celebrates the agricultural bounty of the late summer season. Drawing inspiration from the rustic, organic ambience of this year’s “Nature’s Elegance” theme, Master Chef and Founder Joachim Splichal, Executive Chef of Culinary Gregg Wiele, and Executive Pastry Chef Frania Mendivil delicately crafted a three-course menu that allow the natural flavors of each ingredient to shine, including Turf & Turf, Heirloom Beets and Ocoa Chocolate Crémeux for dessert.
The development of Patina Catering’s 21st Emmys menu began shortly after the 2015 festivities. Splichal, alongside Culinary Director Gregg Wiele, developed more than 50 recipes guided by their commitment to source only the best and most flavorful seasonal produce available. After months of creation and collaboration, culminating in a tasting experience with Television Academy’s Governors Ball Committee, Patina Catering will bring together about 200 chefs and 18 executive chefs to work on-site in the multiple, massive event kitchens. For a behind-the-scenes look at the expansive Patina Catering Emmy kitchens and bustling execution of the largest formal seated dinner in North America, take a look at their 2015 time-lapse video.
Photo credit: Matt Sayles / Invision for the Television Academy
