After five years in Sydney’s Surry Hills, chef Dylan Cashman is taking The Blue Door home to the Mid-North Coast. The award-winning chef will open The Blue Door Bellingen with his wife, wine director and co-owner Angelica Nohra, bringing the restaurant’s focus on ethical produce, local farmers, whole-animal cooking and “fun-dining” closer to the region that shaped him. Opening on September 18 inside a heritage-listed former bank, the 24-seat restaurant marks a return north for Cashman, who was born and raised in Crescent Head. Cashman said, “I felt the only way for The Blue Door to grow and become its true self was to move to the countryside, where the environment surrounding the restaurant echoes the restaurant itself.” The Sydney restaurant built its reputation on close relationships with growers, ethical sourcing and a style of cooking that never sat neatly in the white-tablecloth box. In Bellingen, that approach becomes more direct: the farmers are closer, the produce is more immediate and the restaurant can follow what the region gives it week by week. The dining room keeps much of the old bank’s character, with timber floors, soft tan leather seating, colonial green and white tones, and an open kitchen. The 11 dining tables have been made by Cashman’s uncle and cousin from a single tree, one of the first trees milled at their grandfather’s timber mill after it was destroyed in the 2019 bushfires. Crockery has been commissioned from NSW ceramicists Gabs Wallington and Leia Sherbolm, while local Indigenous artist Jason Ridgeway has created a large feature artwork for the restaurant. A 100km radius At the centre of The Blue Door is an ever-changing seven-plus-course tasting menu, priced at $179 per person. Rather than writing a menu and asking farmers to meet it, Cashman and his team will cook around the best produce available each week. The team personally visits the farms it sources whole animals from, while vegetables will come from no-till and regenerative growers across the Mid-North Coast. The restaurant is aiming to source as much as possible from within about 100 kilometres of Bellingen. Cashman said, “If we have a whole animal, we use the whole animal. If the farmers have beautiful vegetables, that’s what we build the menu around. “For me, that’s what seasonality really means – it can change every week.” Bread, charcuterie and other elements will be made in-house, with every animal butchered by the team. The restaurant is not chasing a permanent signature dish, because the signature is the way it cooks: local produce, whole-animal work, honest flavours and nostalgic food that shifts with the seasons. Cashman’s own cooking has been shaped across Australian and European kitchens. He completed his apprenticeship in Bangalow in 2012 before working at Sean’s Panorama, Cottage Point Inn and Paper Daisy, followed by two-and-a-half years in Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe, including three-Michelin-starred Vendôme in Germany. At The Blue Door Bellingen, those influences come through in a modern Australian menu that can move through Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, British, Korean, Italian and Japanese flavours, depending on what best serves the produce. The local producer list already gives a sense of the restaurant’s direction. Bello Beef supplies pasture-raised beef from Georgie and Sam Baker’s farm just down the road. Patch Organics provides organic fruit and vegetables, while Darkwood Farms brings small-scale certified organic produce grown using regenerative practices. Hogan Farm supplies regenerative pork, and Nautical Seafoods is supplying line-caught, iki jime fish. Where local sourcing is not possible, The Blue Door will continue working with ethical Australian producers, including Northern Rivers Ducks for premium Pekin ducks, and chocolate and vanilla producers from Far North Queensland. Cashman said, “We want to build a restaurant that helps to feed our community, not just in the restaurant itself but by buying all our produce from local farmers, this helps to create jobs and keeps money in our local community. “We believe that adding value to local producers who are farming in a regenerative and ethical manner is the best method for a sustainable food system.” A blue door, but make it casual The Blue Door will also have a more casual side. The six-seat bar and four-seat front patio will operate as The Blue Door Wine Bar, with walk-ins welcome and a snack menu that follows the same produce as the dining room. That could mean house-made charcuterie, beef tartare using local beef, golden potato scallops topped with smoked Ebor trout, Hogan Farm pig head croquettes, daily made pasta, fresh oysters, farm-style burgers and fried chicken. Nohra said, “The idea is that we’re inviting people into our Bellingen home. “And we want people to feel comfortable here, whether they’re coming for the full dining experience or just dropping by the bar for a quick drink and something light to eat.” Nohra’s wine list will stay firmly focused on NSW, showcasing the state’s wine regions with an emphasis on young winemakers, emerging producers, female winemakers and female-led wineries. A NSW wine pairing will be available for $90, alongside a non-alcoholic pairing for $60. Thursday evenings will run as BYO Wine Night, priced at $30 per bottle, with winemaker dinners planned throughout the year. For Cashman and Nohra, The Blue Door Bellingen is meant to be both a local restaurant and a reason for visitors to look more closely at the Mid-North Coast: a small dining room, a blue door and a menu that starts with the people growing, raising and catching the food around it. Source: Pendulum Communications Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Crane Bar & Lounge has taken its menu in a new Latin American direction, bringing new small plates, cocktails and a weekly taco night to 1 Hotel Melbourne’s riverfront bar. The refreshed dining menu launched on September 1, with Executive Chef Julio Martinez drawing on his Mexican heritage across a sharing-style lineup of seafood, spice and Melbourne produce. Born and raised in Mexico, Martinez brings the bold flavours and regional variety of Mexican cooking into a menu that still feels very much like a hotel bar: polished, snackable and made for lingering over drinks. Martinez said, “My approach to food is not just about execution; it’s about connecting cultures, evoking emotions, and celebrating heritage.” The lighter end of the menu includes King Prawn Aguachile and Bluefin Tuna Tostada, both suited to Crane’s outdoor terrace as Melbourne starts moving into warmer days. Heartier dishes include Beef Empanadas with chimichurri, Duck Rillettes on a brown butter crumpet, and Crispy Potato Rösti with jalapeño mascarpone and aged Bay of Fires cheddar. The shift also nods to the first 1 Hotel property in South Beach, Miami, bringing in coastal, seafood-led influences alongside the Latin American flavours. The drinks list has been updated too, taking familiar cocktails into less expected places. New serves include a Spicy Gochujang Paloma, Melon Sake Martini, Champagne Piña Colada, Tom Yum Bloody Mary and Calamansi Gimlet. Each cocktail is also made with a zero-waste approach, using ingredients and products that would otherwise be discarded. Crane is also adding Taco Social Club every Sunday, pairing tacos, smoky margaritas and live music from local performers. The taco menu includes Carnitas with crispy chicharrón crumbs, braised Birria with consommé made for dipping, and Vegan Birria with spiced shiitake mushrooms and salsa roja. Tacos are priced at $7 each or three for $18. Crane Bar & Lounge’s new menu is available now at 1 Hotel Melbourne. Source: Modern Currency Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

HexClad has signed a three-year global partnership with Food for Soul, the nonprofit founded by three-Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore. The cookware brand will support Food for Soul’s Refettorio network through cookware donations, financial contributions, volunteer engagement, advocacy and storytelling around food waste, food insecurity and social inclusion. Food for Soul has spent the past decade building Refettorios around the world, turning surplus ingredients into high-quality meals for local communities. The first opened in Milan during Expo 2015, with further locations now operating in cities including London, Harlem, San Francisco and Sydney. Each Refettorio is developed with local organisations, using food, hospitality and design to create spaces where people can eat, connect and feel welcomed. Daniel Winer, CEO and Co-Founder of HexClad, said, “We believe great cooking can have an impact beyond the kitchen. “This partnership is about supporting a proven model that transforms surplus ingredients into exceptional meals while creating spaces where people feel welcomed and valued.” For HexClad, the partnership puts its cookware into working community kitchens rather than only home kitchens or chef-led content. The brand will equip Refettorio kitchens with cookware and tools designed to support daily service, consistency and efficiency. The partnership will also involve HexClad’s network of chefs, culinary professionals and creators, with plans for volunteer programs, fundraising, storytelling and future Refettorio openings. Lara Gilmore, Founder and President of Food for Soul, said, “Food has the power to bring people together. “With HexClad’s support, we strengthen the capacity of our Refettorio Partners, helping them to nourish more communities and demonstrate hospitality as a means of care and connection towards social change.” Food for Soul was created to reduce food waste while addressing social isolation and food insecurity through shared meals. Its work brings together chefs, artists, designers and community organisations to rethink what a meal service can look like when care and dignity are part of the brief. The HexClad and Food for Soul partnership will roll out globally across the Refettorio network over the next three years. Source: Neon Black Find more food and drink updates on Crumb Wire.

Another day, another brilliant Biscoff collab. Gelatissimo has turned the internet’s Biscoff cheesecake obsession into a $13.50 gelato slice. The Cheesecake Slice made with Biscoff launched nationally on Friday, September 4 and drew queues at Gelatissimo’s Circular Quay flagship over the weekend, as Sydneysiders lined up to try it. The launch lands as Biscoff cheesecake continues to have a very real hold on Australian dessert culture. According to Gelatissimo, ‘Biscoff cheesecake’ is Australia’s number-one breakout food search of the past 12 months, while creator videos and first-taste posts have helped push the trend from home kitchens into dessert stores. Sydney creators 2 Hungry Guys (@2hungryguys) and The Food Inbox (@thefoodinbox) were among the first to try the slice over launch weekend, with videos spreading across TikTok and Instagram as customers started getting their own hands on it. Luke Calopedos of 2 Hungry Guys said, “It’s rich, creamy and properly Biscoff-y, with the cheesecake gelato, smooth Biscoff spread and crunchy biscuit giving you a bit of everything in every spoonful. I loved it enough to go back for seconds.” Kat and Alex of The Food Inbox added, “We love any dessert with Biscoff in it, so this was a winner instantly – and the creamy cheesecake gelato and whipped cream balanced out all the Biscoff spread, biscuit, drizzle and crumb beautifully. It’s VERY moreish; we finished ours and immediately wanted another.” Gelatissimo’s version is handmade fresh in store, using cheesecake gelato churned with crushed Biscoff biscuits, a thick layer of smooth Biscoff spread, Biscoff crumb, Biscoff drizzle, whipped cream, a whole Biscoff biscuit and a Gelatissimo wafer. The cheesecake tang comes from Italian quark, giving the slice a point of difference from frozen versions of the dessert. The launch also sits inside a bigger social-led dessert pattern. New research shared by Gelatissimo found 35 per cent of Gen Z and 26 per cent of Millennials have bought a dessert after seeing it featured or trending on social media. Eleanor Bruinenberg, Head of Marketing at Gelatissimo, said, “Biscoff has become one of the most requested flavours we hear about, so we wanted to give it the premium gelato treatment it deserves – made fresh in store, with a whole layer of Biscoff spread and a whole Biscoff biscuit in every serve. It’s a proper handmade dessert, and we’re thrilled people are making the trip in for it.” The Cheesecake Slice made with Biscoff is available now at Gelatissimo stores nationwide. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.