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Forget eBay, Craigslist and scalpers. One of this year's hottest Oscar party tickets is through the kitchen door at the Governor's Ball, as the student chefs of the California School of Culinary Arts hone their skills.

For the past nine years, 45 top students have been given the opportunity to prepare the party's meals alongside Wolfgang Puck. The 2008 menu includes Wagyu beef with Chinese broccoli shiitake stir-fry and red wine sauce, Thai-spiced shrimp with basil and candied garlic, and bruschetta of figs, goat cheese, and organic prosciuttio.

The five days of preparation leading up to the party culminate, of course, with plating the food to look absolutely uniform. "You eat with your eyes first, and we like people to see all the colors on a beautiful plate," says Christian Bolanos, one of this year's chosen students.