When you think of the Met Gala, you think of fashion. The incredible gowns, the bold statements, the cameras flashing on the steps. But this year, something equally theatrical happened inside the Temple of Dendur. Designer Raúl Àvila drew inspiration from Northern Italian gardens to create what amounts to an edible exhibition. And the result? A three-course culinary journey that’s as carefully constructed as any haute couture piece walking the red carpet outside.
When dinner becomes design
Walking into the dining area is like stepping into a painting. Guests are greeted by a wall designed to look like what set designer Derek McLane describes to Vogue as “a slightly romantically decayed wall of an Italian garden.” Custom green and off-white striped tablecloths paired with garden chairs Àvila designed specifically for the gala. But the real magic is in the centerpieces. Real pomegranates, pears, black wine grapes, artichokes, and kumquats arranged with garden flowers. McLane, who’s best known for his Broadway work on productions like Moulin Rouge!, has been collaborating with Àvila on the Met Gala since 2023. “Each one of these is a different kind of show with its own personality that’s totally different,” he said.
Three chapters on a plate
Olivier Cheng Catering took the garden concept and ran with it, but smartly. Instead of trying to force the theme into every bite, they structured the entire menu as three distinct chapters. The first course is literally called “the garden.” The main is “the statue.” Dessert is “the silhouette.” Each one builds on what came before, pulling you deeper into the exhibition’s spirit.The appetizer arrives first, and it’s a small moment of theater. Burrata with a green tomato salad, elderflower, pine, and gooseberries. The presentation is deliberate—the burrata is plated to resemble an actual green tomato, colored with tomato water infused with green herbs. Then comes the main. A rack of lamb with morel panna cotta, Parmesan gnocchi, asparagus, carrots, spring peas, and mint. Cheng’s description is telling. He calls the lamb “very sculptural, very statuesque.”
When dessert tells a story
This is where things get really interesting. The three desserts aren’t just sweet finales. They’re direct references to actual pieces from the Costume Institute exhibition. And they were chosen by Anna Wintour and Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator.The first dessert is a raspberry-infusion chocolate with red velvet cake and raspberry chocolate crémeux. It was inspired by Alexander McQueen’s iconic spring 2001 “Voss” collection.The second is a strawberry pavlova with passionfruit curd and burgundy amaranth microgreens, this one inspired by Robert Wun’s bleeding coat from spring 2023. And the last—a white chocolate mocha with cocoa cake and dark chocolate ganache, pays homage to Christian Dior’s bar suit from spring 2024.The Met Gala is always about spectacle. But this year’s dinner proves that the spectacle doesn’t end when you leave the red carpet.