A look into what the stars were served at the Met Gala 2024 dinner

Held at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art on the first Monday of May every year, the Met Gala is hosted to raise funds for The Costume Institute. While we’re all familiar with what goes down on the red carpet, not much is known about what happens behind its doors, partly thanks to its no social media policy. However, what we do know is that with Anna Wintour at the helm, there will not be a hair out of place when it comes to execution—and that includes the dinner menu. This year, caterer Olivier Cheng curated the Met Gala 2024 dinner with inspiration from the gardens and palaces of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. 

To paint you a better picture of just how meticulous the dinner planning can be, let’s take a look at last year’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” menu. Guests were served a meal that took a leaf out of the late Chanel creative director’s most famous party—Paloma Picasso’s wedding soirée—and paid homage to his favourite dishes from around the world. To add to the theatrics, libations came in the form of Diet Coke AKA Lagerfeld’s preferred drink.

During the event itself, the guests will tour the Costume Institute’s main exhibit, before heading to a cocktail hour and then eventually, the dining room. For the 2024 Met Gala dinner, Cheng planned a menu that brought both elegance and flavour, utilising the best ingredients of the season. According to his interview with Vogue, Cheng wanted the menu to feel worthy of a children’s storybook. The meal starts with a colourful spring vegetable salad, dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette and adorned with elderflower foam, olive crumbles, as well as butterfly-shaped croutons. 

Moving on to mains, guests were presented with a dish comprising a beef fillet topped with a tortellini rose. The steak was served alongside vibrant vegetables in a mushroom ‘moat’—an ode to the floral nature of the night. For dessert, Cheng looked to the story of Snow White to create what he calls a “not-so-poison apple”. The dish is made with an almond cremeux in the shape of an apple that is coated in a shiny red mirror glaze and served atop a walnut-flavoured leaf. 

As for the venue of the dinner, guests dined in The Met’s Gallery 131 by The Temple of Dendur that was transformed into a scene right out of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, as was the rest of the venue. Further adding to the ethereal feel of the night, the entire menu was served on lettuce-shaped plates. On the tables were burgundy Treacy-inspired roses alongside beautiful English ivy and candelabras expertly arranged atop a deep blue tablecloth. 

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