Sokyo Brisbane has launched a limited-run Wagyu menu in partnership with Australian producer Stockyard, spotlighting the brand’s Kiwami Wagyu MBS9 through a Japanese-inspired lens. Created by Chef Alex Yu, Chef Tuan Colombo Huynh and the Sokyo team, the specials menu heroes Stockyard’s Kiwami Wagyu across four dishes, each designed around a different cut and cooking technique. The menu Kiwami Wagyu Sushi: Finely sliced raw beef, lightly seared, with wasabi yuzu kosho, teriyaki and garlic chips. Kiwami Wagyu Short Rib Tacos: Short rib slow-cooked for 24 hours at low temperature, served with truffle shiitake aioli and pickled red cabbage. Kiwami Wagyu Tri-tip Donburi: Tri-tip charred over the grill, glazed with tare and served over seaweed rice with Sokyo house condiments and nori. Stockyard Kiwami Wagyu Scotch Steak: Served with garlic ponzu, umami butter and shiso chimichurri. Quality and provenance Chef Tuan said the decision to spotlight Kiwami Wagyu came down to both quality and provenance. “We chose to spotlight Kiwami Wagyu because it represents excellence in quality and provenance. As a 100% Australian fullblood Wagyu, it reflects the depth and capability of local producers, which is something we are passionate about celebrating and elevating on the plate. “The richness of the meat, combined with its balanced fat content, delivers a luxurious yet clean eating experience. Its mellow texture allows us to highlight both precision and restraint in our cooking techniques, letting the natural character of the beef speak for itself while creating a refined and memorable dish.” Rather than leaning on premium steak cuts alone, the team approached the menu by exploring secondary cuts and applying techniques that draw out each one’s individual character. Sharing the team’s approach to the menu, Chef Tuan said, “We’ve approached the menu by highlighting different cuts of Kiwami Wagyu and applying techniques that best express their individual qualities. Rather than focusing only on premium steak cuts, we’ve explored secondary cuts and treated them with precision to elevate their character. “For the taco, we’ve selected short rib due to its natural richness and connective tissue, which breaks down beautifully over time. It is cooked for 24 hours at a low temperature to achieve exceptional tenderness while retaining depth of flavour. For the wagyu sushi, Chef Tuan explains that the goal is to allow the quality of the thinly sliced Kiwami Wagyu to speak for itself. “The slices are lightly seared to enhance aroma and mouthfeel while preserving the delicacy and natural marbling of the meat.” “In the donburi, we’ve chosen tri-tip to showcase a more robust, beef-forward flavour. The cut is charred over the grill to develop smokiness and texture, then glazed with tare – a traditional Japanese-style sauce – to add layers of umami. “It is served over seaweed rice with a selection of condiments to complement and balance the dish. Across the menu, the focus is on combining Japanese technique with thoughtful cut selection, ensuring each preparation enhances the inherent qualities of the wagyu rather than overpowering it.” At its core, the menu reflects Sokyo’s approach to Japanese cuisine as something living and evolving rather than fixed by tradition. A reinterpretation of traditional technique “The inspiration behind the Kiwami Wagyu dish comes from a desire to honour traditional Japanese techniques while reinterpreting them through Sokyo’s modern and playful lens,” said Chef Tuan. The team draws from foundational elements like sushi and donburi, using them as a starting point to showcase the purity and quality of the wagyu, without being confined by tradition. “At Sokyo, we see Japanese cuisine as a living, evolving culture. We follow Japanese food culture without staying stuck in tradition – we’re always exploring, so there are no rules. That mindset allows us to push boundaries, experiment with flavours and formats, and create dishes that feel both respectful and unexpected. “A perfect example of this is the wagyu taco – a one-bite expression that blends premium Kiwami wagyu with a sense of fun and creativity. It captures what we aim to do at Sokyo: take something deeply rooted in Japanese technique and transform it into something contemporary, engaging, and a little outside the comfort zone.” The Kiwami Wagyu menu is available for a limited time at Sokyo Brisbane. Source: Pressed Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

To celebrate National Doughnut Day, Krispy Kreme is giving away 100,000 free Original Glazed doughnuts. The giveaway is taking place on Friday, June 5, at all participating Krispy Kreme shops in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and SA, while stocks last. Krispy Kreme has run similar giveaways in previous years, with the 100,000-doughnut giveaway becoming one of its largest annual activations. National Doughnut Day is an annual event that originated in 1938, and Krispy Kreme is not alone in marking the occasion. Other doughnut brands use the day to run their own deals globally, from free doughnuts for loyalty members and half-price boxes to limited-time menu items, making it one of the more broadly celebrated food days on the calendar. Aimee Cutajar, Chief Marketing Officer at Krispy Kreme ANZ, said, “The wait is over! Our favourite day of the year is back and our incredible teams are prepped and ready to spread a whole lot of joy! “National Doughnut Day is our way of saying thank you to the fans who show up for us year after year, and what better way to do that than sharing a free, melt-in-your-mouth treat. “There is truly nothing like the magic of biting into an iconic Original Glazed doughnut fresh off the line. Whether you’re making an early morning coffee run or swinging by for a late-night treat, grab your friends and come visit us – we can’t wait to celebrate with you!” Krispy Kreme recommends visiting during quieter times between 6 am and 8 am to avoid lines. Specific store trading hours may vary and can be found online. Source: Sling & Stone Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Wedding menus are getting a personality makeover, and Pinterest‘s 2026 Wedding Trends Report has the data to prove it. It would seem the days of rotating pigs in a blanket, gourmet tartlets and the age-old question of “chicken or fish?” are behind us. According to Pinterest’s Wedding Trends Report 2026, which draws on more than 7 billion wedding-related searches and 16.7 billion saved wedding ideas globally in the past year, food has become one of the most considered elements of a modern wedding, sitting alongside décor, fashion and venue as a primary expression of the couple’s identity. Jace Molan, Pinterest’s Head of Content Partnerships, said the numbers reflect a deeper cultural change in how couples approach their wedding day food. “Pinterest 2026 Wedding Report found that couples are no longer treating food as a background detail. Looking at what Pinners are gravitating towards in the last 12 months, menus are now designed the same way venues, outfits, or music have been traditionally considered by couples: food has become a storytelling tool that creates feeling and memory.” The quirky cake era Nowhere is that shift more visible than in the wedding cake. The formal tiered centrepiece is being replaced by something far more interesting: cakes that look like flower pots, tiramisu towers, tarot cards and doughnut stacks. Searches for flower pot cake ideas are up 715%, and wedding cake tiramisu is up 635%, with kitsch cake searches up 545% and lyrics cakes up 355%. “Rather than serving as a formal finale, desserts now feel expressive, custom-made to the couple’s story, offering more delight and personality for the unique wedding experience,” Molan said. “When it comes to food, Australian couples are closely aligned with global trends, especially around quirky, personality-led cakes. “Like pinners around the world, Australians are stepping away from traditional wedding cakes and instead treating dessert as a moment of self expression. Cakes are being designed to spark conversation and reflect personal humour or nostalgia, which is driving interest in more unconventional options like doughnut tower or tarot cakes.” “Ultimately, interactive and unconventional cakes underscore how wedding food in 2026 is about more than taste or presentation. It’s about participation and feeling. Couples want their guests to experience the moment, to remember how it made them feel and quirky cakes is a perfect trend from the report bringing that philosophy to life.” The interactive wedding table The bigger shift in 2026 is toward more performative menus that ask guests to participate. Lavish carving stations, DIY dessert bars, drink towers and interactive food displays are replacing the structured three-course sit-down, driven by couples who want their reception to feel less like a formal dinner and more like a shared experience. Molan said, “One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is toward interactive, experience-led dining. Elements such as shared tables, roaming starters, live cooking moments, or DIY food stations are rising in popularity because they’re formats that invite participation for the guests. “It’s less about a structured, traditional three-course menu and more about flow, movement and discovery throughout the celebration.” To bring this to life, Pinterest hosted its first-ever live and legal wedding at its Sydney headquarters earlier this year, using a real couple’s Pinterest board to shape every element of the day, including the food. “We created our very first live and legal wedding at Pinterest Sydney HQ to bring this to life. Using a real couple’s board, we brought their vision to life – including interactive food trends like a bespoke tiramisu tower, jamon carving station and oyster and champagne station – alongside the key trends from our 2026 report,” Molan said. “It demonstrated how Pinterest helps couples move seamlessly from digital inspiration to tangible, real-world moments.” Food as feeling The sensory element extends to how tables are styled. The report identifies a Sensory Styling trend where produce-based centrepieces, flower bars, herb arrangements, citrus garlands and perfume stations are turning the table into something guests can smell and touch as much as see. Searches for flower bar set ups are up 870% and vegetable centrepieces up 380%, suggesting the boundary between décor and dining is becoming increasingly blurred. Molan said, “Trends like quirky cakes and analogue keepsakes go beyond aesthetics by actively involving both the couple and their guests. These moments give people something to touch, taste and talk about, turning what used to be formal rituals into shared experiences and memories. “Couples want their wedding to feel unmistakably theirs, and food is becoming a powerful vehicle for that – whether through unexpected flavours, playful presentation or interactive moments that disrupt the traditional flow of the day in favour of something more joyful and ‘them.'” Going by the Pinterest 2026 Wedding Trends Report, wedding food is lifting more weight than ever before. Not only does it need to make an impression through taste, but it also needs to put on a show. Modern couples seem to be up for the challenge, though – raising the bar one flower pot cake at a time. Find more food and drink features on Crumb Wire.

Australian fruit grower Montague Farms is kicking off its 2026 yello apple season, with the orchard-fresh harvest hitting shelves this May. The yello apple has been quietly building a following among food lovers for its striking golden skin, tropical sweetness and low acidity. A Japanese variety with roots tracing back to 1993, it was developed at Nagano Research Centre through a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Senshu, combining the best qualities of both into a light, sweet and complex flavour with notes of cooked apple and summer blossom. Grown exclusively across Victoria’s premium fruit regions, including the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Drouin and West Gippsland, the variety is cultivated across more than 36,500 dedicated trees, each expected to yield around 100 apples. This year’s harvest is expected to exceed 407,000 kilograms, reflecting growing demand both domestically and internationally. In the kitchen, yello has found a following beyond the fruit bowl. Its natural sweetness works across sweet and savoury dishes, from grazing platters and salads to baking and desserts. Cookbook author and TV personality Alice Zaslavsky has even called it the ‘perfect baking apple’ for its ability to hold its shape while releasing a floral aroma, showcasing it in her yello Sharlotka apple cake. yello apples are available from May through October at Costco and independent greengrocers nationwide. Source: Modern Currency Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.