Australians do not need much convincing when it comes to mango season. Around 95% of the country’s mango crop is eaten locally and Peters Frosty Fruits is betting there is still room for one more version of summer’s favourite fruit. The new Frosty Fruits Mango Sorbet stick takes that familiar flavour into supermarket freezers, combining mango sorbet made with real mango puree with a passionfruit sorbet swirl made using real passionfruit juice. It also looks the part. The stick comes in a mango-shaped mould with a soft sorbet texture, no artificial colours or flavours and 56 calories per serve, which the brand says is fewer calories than a whole mango. “Mango is such an iconic part of the Australian summer, so it felt like the perfect flavour to bring to Frosty Fruits in a fresh and playful way. The launch is an exciting step forward for Frosty Fruits, extending our successful sorbet platform with a fresh new offering for consumers,” said Andrea Hamori, Head of Marketing at Peters Ice Cream. While mango season only comes around once a year, Aussie brands have made sure the flavour can be enjoyed without interruption. Biscuits, cakes, drinks – the king of summer fruit is everywhere, all year round. “We know Australians love Frosty Fruits for its refreshing, fruity flavours, and our new Mango Sorbet takes that experience somewhere new. Whether it’s cooling down after a day at the beach or reaching for a fruity treat on a warm summer evening, we think this will quickly become a new freezer favourite,” Hamori added. For Frosty Fruits, the mango stick extends its existing sorbet range rather than straying too far from what people already know the brand for: cold, fruity freezer snacks made for hot weather. Frosty Fruits Mango Sorbet will start rolling out nationally from mid-September. Six-packs will be available at grocery stores for RRP $9, while single serves will be sold through petrol and convenience stores for RRP $3.50. The new flavour joins Frosty Fruits Fruit Stack, Tropical 50% Less Sugar, Tropical and Watermelon Slice. Source: WiredCo. Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Mozzarella making, pasta rolling and chocolate tempering have all proven themselves as solid date and girls’ night options, but there’s a new kid on the social-classes block deserving of our attention. Kafe Kooks in Ultimo is putting roti paratha forward as a contender, with in-house Roti Master Suresh Rajandra teaching small groups how to stretch, flip and fold dough before finishing it with the all-important smash that gives the bread its flaky layers. Rajandra said, “I love that the classes are kept to small groups because it creates a really relaxed atmosphere. People feel comfortable asking questions and getting involved in a way that’s much harder to do in a big group. Before long, everyone is competing to see who can stretch their dough the best.” The process has all the ingredients of a good class to take with friends, family or a special someone. There is enough technique involved to make getting it right feel satisfying, but plenty of opportunity to get your hands dirty and room for things to go sideways once the dough starts flying. “My favourite part is bringing out a freshly cooked roti and showing everyone how to give it a good smash to make it beautifully flaky,” adds Rajandra. “You can see everyone’s faces light up when they see it happen, and then there’s the smell of that hot roti straight off the grill, with all that incredible sweetness and aroma from the ghee. That moment never gets old.” Customers who have previously attended sessions with the Roti Master have also raved about the sensory aspect and Kafe Kooks’ overall hospitality. One attendee called the experience “a night to remember” and singled out the roti throwing and folding session, while another said the class was “a lot of fun” and the food “absolutely delicious”. It helps that roti making is not yet one of those default things people think to do with their hands on a night out. The flipping, stretching and smashing still feels novel, but the five-course Malaysian banquet and cocktails are holding their own too. Once the class wraps, guests sit down to a five-course shared Malaysian feast, with the option to make the evening bottomless. That makes the format feel less like a cooking lesson with dinner tacked on and more like a proper night out where the activity happens to involve learning how not to tear a sheet of roti dough. Keeping it Klassy For owner Andrew Ray, the classes have also opened up conversations that rarely happen during normal restaurant service. For an Asian restaurant effectively designed as a love song dedicated to David Bowie – decor, memorabilia, pillows, you name it – the curiosity writes itself. “I get asked everything from how I first became fascinated by roti, to why I started Kafe Kooks and even the connection between David Bowie and the business,” Ray said. “It gives me a chance to connect with people in a much more personal way than you normally get to during the day-to-day running of a restaurant. “And of course, we love watching everyone have a go at flipping their roti. There’s always plenty of laughter, and we’ve captured some great moments on camera. Seeing people go from being a little nervous about handling the dough to getting stuck into it is a big part of the fun.” Kafe Kooks’ upcoming Roti Masterclasses are scheduled on October 8, October 22, December 3 and December 17 from 6 pm to 8.30 pm at 63 Mountain Street, Ultimo. Tickets are $95 plus a booking fee, or $125 plus a booking fee for the bottomless option. Find more food and drink features on Crumb Wire.

Gelato Messina has finally made it to New York, but its first store in the city won’t look much like a standard gelato counter. Opening on the Lower East Side, Softville is a new soft serve concept created with long-time collaborator Studio Jeremyville, pairing Messina’s made-from-scratch gelato approach with an art-filled space designed to function as much like a creative hangout as a dessert shop. “We’ve had our sights set on New York for a long time, and we didn’t want to open just another dessert shop. Most soft serve starts with a pre-made mix. Ours starts with fresh milk and the same techniques we’ve spent more than 20 years perfecting with gelato. Doing it with our friends at Studio Jeremyville, who have been part of Messina from the very beginning, makes New York feel like home,” said Messina founder Nick Palumbo. The soft serve itself sticks closely to the way Messina has always worked. There are no pre-made mixes, with each batch made fresh using milk from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley. Non-dairy options will also be available. Five signature sundaes lead the opening menu, including a very Australian Pavlova Sundae with mango and yoghurt soft serve, baked meringue, raspberry gel, passionfruit gel, vanilla pudding and macerated strawberries. The Dulce con Churros Sundae will be familiar to Messina regulars, combining dulce de leche soft serve with dulce flan, milk crumb, warm chocolate sauce, hot cinnamon churros and sea salt. Customers can also build their own, choosing from a rotating selection of sauces, crunches, baked additions and toppings made daily in the open kitchen. The menu will keep changing after opening, with seasonal specials led by Eva Wintersteen, formerly Executive Pastry Chef across the Il Buco restaurants and Head Chef at Supermoon Bakehouse. She is working alongside Gelato Messina Executive Chef Tom Mitchell, bringing a New York pastry perspective into Messina’s gelato world. Softville itself stretches across 2,500 square feet behind an original 1920s curved glass shopfront at 137 Orchard Street. Interiors by Sarah Carpenter mix sculpture, art installations, collectable ceramics and designer objects with rotating exhibitions from Jeremyville and guest artists. The location puts it among some serious Lower East Side company, close to Perrotin New York, The Merchant, Wildair and Russ & Daughters. The Jeremyville connection goes back more than two decades. Since Messina opened its first Sydney store in 2002, the studio has created murals and artwork for its venues, often drawing directly from the neighbourhood around each store. More recently, Studio Jeremyville also led the design direction for Messina’s supermarket gelato range. “This is a new cultural destination that blends art, community and cult desserts in a way that’s never been done before in New York City,” said Megan Mair, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Studio Jeremyville. “Softville is about creating a space where people can gather, experience creativity in unexpected ways, and leave feeling inspired.” That relationship will become even more visible in New York through the Softville Creative Club, which will host drawing clubs, creative workshops and cultural programming led by Jeremyville and guest artists. Softville opens at 137 Orchard Street on October 1. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

After building The Alley into a global bubble tea brand, MaoTing Chiu is now expanding O’Donuts in Sydney, opening a second store in Haymarket starring the Japanese-style Nama donut. The Harbour Street bakery follows O’Donuts’ Chatswood debut in March and will sit opposite Paddy’s Markets, close to Darling Square and the light rail. “Through O’Donuts, I wanted to introduce more Australians to Nama donuts, a softer, airier style of donut known for its light texture. I saw an opportunity to move beyond the traditional idea of donuts as dessert and create something that fits naturally into everyday life,” said Chiu. Nama means “fresh” in Japanese, but at O’Donuts the defining feature is texture. Pumpkin is blended into the dough before it undergoes more than 16 hours of low-temperature fermentation, helping it retain moisture and develop the soft, airy finish the bakery is known for. Everything is made in small batches in-store each day, including the dough, fillings and flavoured creams. The creams use pure dairy cream without gelatine or food stabilisers, while the team fries each day’s batches fresh rather than carrying stock over. “I’ve always admired the Japanese shokunin mindset. It’s about paying attention to the small details and always trying to make things better. That’s why we work in small batches and make everything fresh in-store every day, from the dough to the fillings,” said Chiu. More than 12 sweet and savoury flavours will be available in Haymarket. Matcha, Dark Chocolate and Pistachio are among the signatures, while the best-selling Brûlée Custard combines fresh cream and caramel pudding custard with a crisp caramelised top. The opening menu will also introduce Ube and Banana Hazelnut, alongside savoury options, including Truffle Cheese Cream, Smoked Ham and Smoked Salmon. The drinks list includes barista-made coffee, Matcha Lattes made with matcha imported from Japan, Strawberry Matcha Lattes, White Peach Oolong Tea and rotating seasonal fruit sodas. For Chiu, the move into Nama donuts follows a familiar path. He previously built The Alley from Taiwan into an international bubble tea brand and is now planning further O’Donuts stores and pop-ups around Australia, as well as the brand’s first international location in the United States. “When I started The Alley, I saw how a familiar product could be reimagined through quality, craftsmanship and the overall experience. I saw the same potential in Nama donuts. Australians already love donuts, but this softer, lighter and less sweet style is still new to many people,” said Chiu. “I’m excited to introduce our take on Nama donuts to a new audience while making sure we keep the same care and quality as we grow,” he added. The Haymarket store opens on October 10. Prices start at $5 for the original O’Donut, $7 for the cream-filled range and $8.80 for savoury options. Source: Curated Agency Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.