Who is he Florist for the Oscars His hangout: The Continental Fitchburg His drink: Dirty martini John Hosek, 45, moved to Madison a year
ago to join Steve Schmidt as co-owner of the Madison business Design Circle event planning. But Hosek’s work in the floral industry has taken him around the globe. He was flown to Bermuda to decorate the home of the U.S. ambassador and regularly works in a showroom in China. As a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers, he also teaches other florists nationwide. Monday he flies to Los Angeles as one of 13 florists to decorate the Kodak Theatre for the Academy Awards. This will be Hosek’s ninth Oscar show. Melanie Conklin: You owned a floral business in East Lansing, Mich., for 24 years. How did you end up in Madison
John Hosek: I actually ran into Darren Ulatowski and Sally Rossmiller of Verona’s House of Flowers at a Chicago Gift Mart … and I started coming up here to help them out with events. And actually my business partner, Steve Schmidt, used to work for It’s Your Party. He kept saying, “You know what, we really ought to go into business together.” So the two of us did.