Wolfgang Puck's HBO series showcases Indian Wells Spago

Wolfgang Puck's new HBO Max show, The Event, Inside Wolfgang Puck Cateringfeatures an episodeentirely about the Spago restaurant at Indian Wells.

The show shares what goes on behind the scenes to pull off the two-week restaurant inside Stadium 1 year after year.

“I love tennis. I play tennis and it is one of my favorite sports,” Puck says. “And I think that’s really what the Indian Wells tennis tournament is, mixing my pleasure with my passion.”

Spago was Puck's first restaurant in Los Angeles, opened in 1982, and the 100-seat version has been a must-visit stop in Palm Springs since 2017.

Early on in the episode, Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon sets the stage.

“The idea was to bring the greatest event the greatest of everything,” Solomon says. “And, of course, the culinary experience is a huge part of every sporting event.”

Solomon explains what makes Spago such a great match for Indian Wells. (HBO Max)

The pop-up version of Spago replicates the excellent food and service patrons expect to receive from any Puck restaurant. The episode shares how the hiring process works (mixing locals and Puck team members) and really showcases the dedication to quality: chefs hand make the drink garnishes and Puck selects the seafood himself.

At the start of filming in 2020, the restaurant managers and their staff were prepping like normal to serve 500 people a day.

“It's something that is like a great magician’s trick: much harder and much more complex than you’ve ever know,” Solomon says. “And the magic is they make it seem so easy.”

Patrons can order a tennis-themed coffee tiramisu dessert. (HBO Max)

At first, COVID-19 lingers as a faraway concern and the first sign of impact is an order for staff to wear gloves. Then the team is faced with the cancellation of Indian Wells, which came on March 8, just a day before the tournament was set to begin and three days before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic.

The news shocked the globe as the first major sports event in the United States was cancelled.

“That moment of realization that an event that would have 500,000 people could end like that was the powder keg," Solomon says. "It was the Big Bang of the realization of what we were about to face."

As the pandemic carried on, tournaments were cancelled through July and Indian Wells organizers have already postponed the 2021 edition of the tournament.

Still, fans know that once play resumes in the desert, Spago will be ready to welcome them back. Patrons will return with inside knowledge of how the restaurant pulls off the two-week feat with such success, and they'll appreciate their meals (and those stunning live tennis views) even more.