Page 97 - Tropic Magazine Issue 13

LIFESTYLE • FOOD

Trend getting
Oaks offers private
These are the global food crazes
hitting Cairns in a big way, experience
perhaps earlier than we’ve Following the success of their cooking
previously seen trends take hold. school, Oaks Kitchen and Garden is
now offering private dining experiences
Words Nicky Jurd in the location of your choice.
Specialising in South-east Asian food,
GUT-FRIENDLY FOOD SPECIALTY DONUTS
We now have a few local kombucha Designer Donuts kicked off this trend Chef Ben Wallace will prepare one of
producers in ScooBrew, Cherries a few years ago, and the specialty his extraordinary menus for you and
and The Fermented Kitchen. These donut craze is not slowing down. your guests, whether it be an intimate
booch products are a big step above Donut Joint opened a dedicated gathering with family and friends or a
the supermarket offerings. ScooBrew donut café at Smithfield, and Duke’s large function or party.
has a tap and refill station at Rusty’s Doughnuts from Port Douglas can The cooking school has been attracting
Markets that will be wildly popular in now be found on Saturday’s at Rusty’s something of a cult following since
the summertime, and The Fermented Markets. Donut walls are a popular opening in January. Guests have
Kitchen’s bottled product is well feature at weddings and events so this become intoxicated by the aromas of
distributed in shops that proudly sell trend is not going away anytime soon! the cuisine and the freshness of the
local. You can also grab Cherries bottles produce grown on the property by Ben
from their Cairns Central store. EDIBLE FLOWERS and partner Rachel Boon. If you are
And there’s a few probiotic food Adding a spring brightness to café looking for a Christmas function with
producers popping up at markets like dishes all over Cairns is Julatten edible a difference, this bespoke experience
Kefir Queen and you can do a kimchi flower producer Earth Food. Gorgeous comes highly recommended by the
making class with local Korean cooking blooms in a rainbow of colours can be Tropic team - but you better hurry to
sensation Hyaesil Gilligan. bought at Port Douglas and Mossman reserve your booking.
markets and Jonsson’s Farm Market too.
POKÉ BOWLS The popularity of Instagram is MORE: oakskitchenandgarden.com
Hailing from Hawaii, poké is a bowl somewhat responsible for the swift
of deconstructed sushi. But not in a spread of food trends nowadays, so
wanky Melbourne deconstructed way. perhaps we will continue to see them
Seasoned rice with sashimi grade fish, hit Cairns faster going forward.
fresh veg and punchy sauces. Endlessly Gathar ‘round
customisable and reasonably priced,
they are popping up on menus all Nicky is co-founder of Precedence. Gathar is a dynamic new food-tech startup,
over town; Wawawa Izakaya, Wharf MORE: precedence.com.au on a mission to change the way we host
One Café, Longevity, 27 Degrees… and dinner parties at home. Through a peer-to-
there’s a dedicated poke bar at Esca peer online marketplace, cooks and chefs
Seafood Market. Soon Suki Poké Bowls can connect with customers looking to host
will open a new store in Smithfield amazing dinner parties at home, but without
Shopping Centre. the hard work.
The Cairns based co-founding team, led
by CEO Jodie Mlikota, bring together the
web superpowers of well-known foodies
Nicky Jurd and Kaj Haffenden combined
with hospitality insights from Darren and
Jacqui Barber, known for their success in
small bars Three Wolves and Gin Social.
Gathar has spent the past year validating the
concept, testing the experience and building
the online platform. The test version of the
Gathar marketplace is set to launch in Cairns
within weeks and planning is underway to
scale nationally over the next 12 months.

97 • tropicnow.com.au