Plate It Forward has hit a serious milestone: one million meals donated since the social enterprise was founded six years ago. The Sydney-based hospitality group, founded by Shaun Christie-David, runs venues including Colombo Social, Kyiv Social and Kabul Social. Through its restaurants, catering and events, it creates employment and training opportunities for people facing systemic barriers to work, while running meal programs for communities experiencing food insecurity across Australia and Sri Lanka. It now provides 14,000 meals a week. Of the million meals, around 710,000 have gone to communities in Sydney, with the remaining 290,000 reaching people in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Ukraine and beyond. Christie-David said, “It’s very rare that we stop and reflect on the impact we’ve created, but one million meals is a pretty special moment. When we started Plate It Forward, I never imagined it would become what it is today. Around 710,000 of those meals have gone to communities here in Sydney, with another 290,000 reaching people in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Ukraine and beyond. “What makes me most proud isn’t really the number. It’s the people behind it. We have this incredible team who inspire me every day, and a community we are so proud to feed. Every one of you has a story, every one of you matters, and every meal carries a little bit of the love we put into making it. “I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Plate It Forward and beyond who has made this possible. I can’t wait to see what the next million looks like.” In Sydney, Plate It Forward provides meals through partnerships with RedLink in Redfern, Rough Edges in Darlinghurst, Redfern Jarjum College in Redfern, Weave Youth & Community Services in Waterloo, and Hume Housing in Telopea. In Sri Lanka, the organisation supports Harvest, a long-term food security program delivered in partnership with Dilmah Tea and the MJF Foundation. The program currently runs across 23 schools, providing daily meals to more than 2,700 children while supporting better school attendance and long-term opportunities in rural communities. To mark the milestone, Plate It Forward is throwing a party in the Kyiv Social laneway, bringing together the team, volunteers, partners, donors and the guests who’ve dined, catered or booked events across its venues over the years. A serious lineup of chefs and hospitality names will be on the BBQ, including Mitch Orr (formerly Ace Hotel and 25hours Hotels), Darryl Martin (Watermans), Brendan King (Derrel’s), NipCooks, Serwan Roman and Andrew Vu (Roman’s Deli), and the women of Kabul Social. Young Henrys will be pouring, with music running throughout the afternoon. Plate It Forward’s One Million Meals Laneway Party runs from 12:30 pm on August 30 at Kyiv Social Laneway, Grafton Lane, Chippendale. Source: Electric Collective Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Sydney Showground will host hundreds of Sydney Royal medal-winning wines, beers, ciders, spirits and fine foods at Grape, Grain & Graze Festival, set to return on September 19. Presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the one-day festival brings together the best of the Sydney Royal Wine, Beer, Cider, Distilled Spirits and Fine Food Shows, giving guests direct access to medal-winning products from across the country in one afternoon. “Grape, Grain & Graze offers outstanding value and an experience unlike anything else in Sydney. Guests can sample hundreds of award-winning wines, beers, ciders and spirits in a single afternoon, while enjoying quality food, live entertainment and the atmosphere of a genuine Sydney Royal celebration,” said Murray Wilton, General Manager, Agriculture & Sydney Royal Easter Show. “Held after Sydney Royal judging, the festival offers guests a rare opportunity to discover and taste recently awarded trophy, gold and silver medal wines from across Australia. “It is ideal for emerging wine lovers keen to discover what they enjoy, as well as enthusiasts wanting to explore favourite varietals and find wines they may not usually encounter in Sydney. “Beer, cider and distilled spirits fans are also well catered for, with recently awarded champions from the Sydney Royal Beer & Cider and Distilled Spirits competitions available to try.” General admission starts at $128.25 and covers entry, tastings of Sydney Royal medal-winning wines, beers, ciders and spirits, grazing stations, live music and access to the Sydney Royal Marketplace. Festivalgoers can also try produce from the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show and pick up meals from food trucks, including Bianco’s Kitchen and Antico Woodfire Pizza. For those wanting to go deeper, there are optional add-ons: trophy-winning wine tastings, a guided medal-winning wine and cheese masterclass, an award-winning beer masterclass, a distilled spirits masterclass and premium food experiences like oysters and dessert boxes. The festival is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the organisation behind the Sydney Royal competitions and the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

KeepCup‘s Ora Insulated Water Bottle now comes in Nitro Pine, a deep, earthy green paired with chrome, available across the bottle range. The Melbourne-founded reusable drinkware brand is rolling Nitro Pine out across the Ora Bottle, the Go Bowl Luxe and the Commuter Insulated Travel Cup, so anyone after a matching set can pick up all three in the one colourway. The Ora Bottle remains KeepCup’s most versatile piece, with two ways to drink from it: through the removable stainless steel straw, or straight from the spout. It’s made for all-day use, whether that’s the gym, the desk or dinner, and works as a simple swap for single-use plastic bottles. The lid is leakproof and one-touch, so it’s safe to throw in a bag and easy to open with one hand. A carry handle and a shape that fits standard cup holders mean it works equally well on the school run or on a hike. It’s vacuum insulated, keeping drinks cold for 24 hours or more, and the stainless steel construction means no flavour transfer between drinks. With fewer parts than most bottles, it’s also quicker to clean. The Ora Bottle is made from 90% recycled stainless steel, with a 50% recycled Tritan lid, keeping it light, durable and lead-free. It’s made to last and to be repaired rather than thrown out, which fits with KeepCup’s broader stance that the most sustainable product is simply the one people keep using. “Hydration is a daily habit and we wanted to create a bottle that is as versatile and easy to use as it is durable,” says Abigail Forsyth, co-founder of KeepCup. “Nitro Pine has become one of our most-loved colourways, and it felt like a natural fit for the Ora Bottle, giving people another way to bring a considered, cohesive design into their everyday routine.” KeepCup was started in Melbourne in 2009 by Abigail and Jamie Forsyth. It began with the world’s first barista-standard reusable cup, made to cut down on single-use coffee cup waste, and the brand is now sold in more than 75 countries. The Ora Bottle in Nitro Pine is available for $60 AUD (700ml) and $70 AUD (950ml) via the Australian website and selected retailers. Source: OneTwo Agency Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Tell an Australian guest not to bring anything along to a party or casual hang, and watch them do it anyway. New research commissioned by Smith’s has confirmed what most of us already suspected: only 15% of guests actually take “don’t bring a thing” at face value. The rest show up with a bag of chips (30%), something homemade to overachieve quietly (23%), or just anything at all so they’re not the one guest standing there empty-handed (33%). Interestingly, of all Aussies, Gen Z are the most generous party guests, with 91% choosing to bring something; a third (33%) reporting that they will bring something casual like a bag of chips, or something they’ve made to impress their friends (31%), while 27% will bring something so they are not ‘that guest’ who doesn’t bring anything It’s a fitting insight for Smith’s to be sitting on right now, with the brand marking 95 years in Australia and gearing up for National Potato Day on 19 August. But the bigger story buried in the data is about how Australians are hosting in the first place, and the answer is: a lot less formally than they used to. Katherine Twomey, Senior Marketing Manager at PepsiCo ANZ, said the findings reflect a broader cultural shift taking place in Australian homes. “Australians are taking the pressure off hosting. People are swapping perfectly curated tables for more relaxed get-togethers where everyone feels comfortable, and that’s creating more opportunities to connect. “For 95 years, Smith’s has been part of those moments – from family celebrations to spontaneous catch-ups – and while the way we host has evolved, the simple joy of sharing good food with good company hasn’t changed.” Nobody’s trying to impress anyone anymore Almost half (47%) of hosts say having people over at home has become their new normal, more common now than going out. Gone are the days of stressing over a three-course menu and fancy dinner sets, apparently. Hosts across every generation are prioritising keeping costs down (19%), having good ingredients on hand (15%) and general ease (15%), well ahead of trying anything new. Only 5% said experimenting with a new recipe was their top priority, which tracks with 44% saying they’d rather host something smaller and lower-key than attempt a big production. The generational breakdown is where things get interesting, as it would seem staying in has become the new going out. Nearly half of Gen Z (49%) and Gen X (47%) hosts, and more than half of Millennials (54%), now stay in more than they step out for social events, with Baby Boomers not far behind at 37%. It’s less about the spread, more about the company Most say it comes down to comfort, casual and relaxed as opposed to overproduced (74%), and a chance to make things feel personal for their guests (66%). But there’s a quieter motivation running underneath the data too. Gen Z and Millennials are roughly three times more likely than older generations to say they host because they’re feeling lonely, 14% of each, compared with 3% of Gen X and 5% of Baby Boomers. Whatever the reason, the top motivations skew a lot more wholesome: building connection (44%), a genuine love of entertaining (42%) and, let’s be honest, the fact that it’s cheaper than going out (42%). Some hosting rules are still sacred While it reigns as the new norm, relaxed hosting hasn’t killed off old-school etiquette entirely. Ask a Baby Boomer and asking for money at a gathering is still a serious faux pas (63% agree), while Gen Z mostly shrugs it off (39%). Double-dipping remains contentious among Gen X (52%) and Baby Boomers (56%), and finger-licking after a shared bowl of chips is where things get truly divided: 60% of Baby Boomers consider it poor form, trailed by Gen X (57%) and a slightly more forgiving Millennial cohort (46%). Having been in the market for almost a century, Smith’s has been in the unique position of witnessing and trying its best to cater to every shift in hosting trends, without ever risking its brand identity. Source: Omincom Find more food culture updates on Crumb Wire.