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On Sunday, as Hollywood’s A-list heads to one of the biggest after parties of the year following the Oscars (or for some, even while the ceremony is still underway—there are staggered times in which people are instructed to arrive. It’s a whole thing.), one of LA’s most celebrated chefs, Evan Funke, will be at the ready to feed its masses. What do you feed a crowd composed of movie stars contractually dressed in custom gowns and seven-figure jewels, finicky musicians, fashion people, athletes, and royalty at the 30th Vanity Fair Oscars Party? Forget caviar bumps, wagyu beef, and white alba truffle. Instead, Mr. Funke will fire up $12,000 worth of outdoor pizza ovens to sling Neapolitan-style pies.
That’s right, guests at one of the hottest parties of the year will burn their mouths on fresh-from-the-oven slices eaten from cocktail napkins, like it’s some kind of middle school sleepover. Of course, the pizza will taste exceptionally good: Funke is a master of Italian cooking. And while he knows the best way to an extra-crispy slice is by letting a pie rest on a metal rack for about 45 seconds before allowing guests to grease up their fingers, if Sunday’s scene is anything like the preview I attended at the Funke Rooftop in Beverly Hills this week, little slices won’t stand a chance at even a 10-second rest—party goers will be grabbing diavola rations just as soon as they emerge from the oven.
All to say, the rest of us have a better chance of eating like the stars on Oscar Sunday if we make it a pizza party and follow Funke’s pizza playbook. The first rule? Don’t sweat the technique. “There are no mistakes,” Funke says. “Even if you mess it up, the worst that can happen is pizza.” Ahead, the celebrated chef shares his best advice and favorite tools for making award-winning pizza at home.
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