To think about American food is to think about hamburgers, fries, frozen pizzas. Sure, that’s true… but it’s not the whole story. U.S. culture has shaped the popular imagination, but sometimes it has also been limited by it. There’s much more to the country’s kitchens and dining rooms than pepperoni and macaroni and cheese, but since when? A group of chefs has stopped to consider what people have eaten in the United States over the last 70 years, giving it a touch of renewal and, of course, exclusivity.
Because those chefs are responsible for the kitchens of the Beverly Hilton, one of the iconic hotels in Los Angeles (technically, Beverly Hills—a small city in its own right, surrounded by its larger sister city). The favorite establishment of Conrad Hilton, the founder of the hotel empire, has been a playground for the family for decades, even for Paris Hilton, who still maintains a strong connection to the hotel and even recently redesigned a suite temporarily for her guests. Now, as the hotel celebrates its 70th anniversary, it has decided to pay tribute to American food while celebrating its own history.
Presidential suite dining room at the Beverly Hilton, set for a gala dinner celebrating its 70th anniversary.Cortesía del Beverly Hilton
After hosting celebrations of many of the city’s most venerated awards ceremonies, from the Golden Globes to the Oscar winners’ luncheon, the Beverly Hilton is now looking to fête its 70 years with a series of high society Beverly Hills dinner parties served in its presidential suite. The rooms have housed Nixon and Kennedy, who always checked in when they were visiting Los Angeles — leading the hotel to be dubbed the “White House of the West.” Exact dates for the dinners have yet to be released, largely because they won’t be public affairs, making use instead of the allure of the exclusive.
Menus will be made up of dishes that revisit, decade by decade, the hottest plates of each historic era. “We’ve done so much research, Google searches yes, but we have also spoken with so many people, with the hotel’s former chefs. Some, for example, recommended that we watch period films and yes, we saw a lot,” state the three masterminds of the dinners, chef Justin Campbell, executive sous chef Matthew Sprister and executive pastry chef Thomas Henzi.
For around two hours, a dozen attendees will sit at a white table with a view of the sunset over the hills that lend their name to the city, tasting the creations of the hotel’s chefs. But first, there are cocktails. Local distillery Beverly Spirits created a special whiskey to celebrate the moment, its run limited to just 210 bottles. “I looked for a smooth approach, with 60% bourbon oak and 40% rye oak,” explains founder Andrew Borenzweig of his libation creation, which has hints of “caramel, vanilla, maple, like a toasted marshmallow,” he says.
Andrew Borenzweig, founder of the Beverly Spirits distillery, with the whiskey created for the 70th anniversary of the Beverly Hilton, on the hotel’s terrace in September 2025.Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
Along with celebrated bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Borenzweig created two drinks to sip while chatting in the suite’s grand salon: the Barron, an updated old-fashioned with a touch of orange; and the Wilshire Highball, with lemon, apricot, mint and elderflower. In addition, the founder also designed a special bottle featuring a customized label for the Hilton.
And then, it’s time to eat. Before the seven-course menu, as if that weren’t enough, a small starter arrives: a herb roll with butter inspired by 1950s popular culture. The first plate also hails from the 1950s; in fact, it’s an amuse-bouche, as it was called back then when French terminology was in vogue for appetizers. They are deviled eggs — but here they are elevated with caviar and truffled yolk.
“They were tremendously popular, but we wanted to elevate them with truffle in the yolk and — why not? — a little bit of caviar. Because that’s Beverly Hills!” laughs Sprister when he comes out to present the course. Although they have been eaten since the 1920s, deviled eggs were all the rage in the 1940s and 1950s, when the egg itself experienced a wave of popularity. They began to pop up frequently at parties, picnics, and particularly at Easter.
Deviled eggs with caviar and truffled yolk, served at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
The true first course is inspired by the 1960s. At the time, a certain sense of innovation in the kitchen was in style, reflected by the arrival of gelatin. Hence, this course is a tomato aspic with king crab and avocado mousse. In the 1960s and 1970s, these so-called aspic dishes became common, featuring small pieces of food encased in gelatin, as chef Campbell explains.
In this case, as the menu elaborates, the dish is about valuing “techniques that display the social importance of entertainment,” of the art of hosting. Here, in contrast with the busy and elaborate recipes of the 1970s, the aspic is fresh and light, with cucumber, avocado and tomato juice, an updated mix of soup and salad at once.
Tomato aspic with royal crab and avocado mousse, inspired by the 1960s and served at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
Next comes the fish, of course. It is a tribute to the 1980s, a fun tiki-style sea bass, with Ritz breading and a fruit salsa. The dish hints at the introduction of fusion cuisine, with “many ideas brought together,” according to the chefs. Its crispy batter is made from one of the most popular crackers on the U.S. market, which at the time was beginning to be used not only as an appetizer, but also as a springboard to innovation by television chefs, as the Hilton chefs point out. It is garnished with fruit and flowers, a reflection of the “adventurous spirit of the decade, an ode to Trader Vic’s.”
With this show of nostalgia, the menu hit its stride. Trader Vic’s Beverly Hills location was well-known, its cuisine influencing the city from the 1950s onward. In 2007, it was demolished to make way for the construction of the Waldorf Astoria, which is located on the same block as the Beverly Hilton. The Hilton opened a bar serving its departed neighbor’s cocktails and dishes by the pool for a decade. Everyone at the dinner had fond memories of Friday night dates at Vic’s, the celebrities they ran into there, what they ordered, and that delicious, yes, shrimp cocktail. The spirit of the city is resurrected, as if by a Ouija board, by a piece of breaded fish.
Pepperoni ‘Hot Pockets’ with parmesan crust, one of the dishes served at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
The following course was perhaps the most entertaining of all: pepperoni Hot Pockets, a wink at the classic adolescence microwave dinner. “Iconic, fast, indulgent,” as it was described. Well, not that fast: it was lovingly made with puff pastry by Henzi, who has been at his post at the Hilton for almost 15 years. “I was lucky that I got the 1990s,” he laughed. Accompanied by a Parmesan crust, a smooth tomato sauce and a few pieces of greenery, it was every bit the fun surprise.
Celeried duck breast with parsnips and grape salad at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
Next came the main course, inspired by the 2010s. It was the most modern dish, although its name — always playful — hid the truth: “Duck breast with parsnip and grape salad.” There was no duck breast. Vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free, the centerpiece of the dish was actually celery, shaped, colored, and even textured to resemble duck. Everything was served with a white sauce, mustard, parsnip purée, lentils, and raspberry sauce.
A new version of the classic Black Forest cake, served at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
The 1970s arrived with the desserts. The first was a Black Forest cake, a classic from that early era of international culinary exploration. This version was lighter, featuring different types of chocolate, deconstructed and then reconstructed. “I like the traditional one; it would have been easier for me,” laughed the pastry chef.
The final dessert served at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Beverly Hilton in September 2025.M. Porcel
The final and most modern dish was the dinner’s grand finale, named Coffee Textures. Dreamed up by the hotel’s dessert expert, a disciple of Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés, it was a challenge to the palette. There was liquid coffee, solid coffee, frozen coffee, coffee foam, coffee spheres, gelatins and cream. “In 2008, when The Bazaar opened, everyone wanted to do molecular cuisine,” joked Henzi, as he encouraged us to start eating. “Enjoy, I know you’re full, but try a bit of each.” A bit of each was tried, with pleasure and delight. A shame that the Hilton doesn’t do doggie bags.
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