A fashion and food event on Waiheke Island
To celebrate the unveiling of her upcoming summer collection in a very fitting setting, local fashion designer Caitlin Crisp is hosting a fashion show on Waiheke Island. Taking place at Mudbrick Vineyard, the ticketed event will include a return ferry ticket from Auckland to Waiheke, a drink on arrival, and a three-course lunch while you preview Crisp’s breezy, feminine garments. Plus, attendees will receive a goodie bag filled with products from La Mer, Jo Malone London and Serious Popcorn, and exclusive Caitlin Crisp merchandise. Find tickets and more information here.

A Roman-inspired pop-up in Christchurch
Christchurch couple Will and Jane Lyons-Bowman are both talented cooks who’ve done pop-ups over the years under their moniker The Next Meal. Will is also the chef at Southwark Street cafe Estelle, and the duo will be doing a pop-up at the venue this Sunday, August 27. They’ll be cooking their two favourite Roman dishes: supplì, a savoury rice ball similar to arancini that has mozzarella in the centre, and the cream-filled maritozzi that have become Estelle’s signature. From 10am, 19 Southwark Street.

Bad & Boujee Brunch at Milenta, Auckland
Vinci Gin-Nen and the team at Victoria Park restaurant Milenta are well versed in event planning, and the latest in the line-up is Milenta’s Bad & Boujee Brunch – taking place every second Saturday until November. Book in for $49 per person, and you’ll be served a two-course set menu with bubbles on arrival and a soundtrack of suitably danceable beats that’ll have you shimmying up from your chair. Every brunch booking goes in the draw to win a Bottega Venetta purse at the end of the season, which would be quite the return on investment. milenta.co.nz

Auckland’s first vegan yum cha
Yum cha isn’t known for being the most vegan-friendly outing, so modern-Asian eatery East is hoping to fill a gap with the launch of its new, entirely plant-based yum cha. Situated at the base of Auckland CBD’s Sudima hotel (with rooftop bar Sunset on the 10th floor), East already offers a purely vegetarian and vegan menu day to day. The goal was to create a plant-based option that was true to traditional yum cha, without straying from the kitchen team’s focus on impactful flavours, says executive chef Stuart Marsden. “Working without animal products requires innovation, so it was all about finding and developing the right plant-based alternatives to carry the distinct flavours,” he tells Broadsheet. “Tradition comes in, too, with the way we cook the dishes. I’m lucky enough to work with a team that has a wealth of experience in the area, so this was a really important aspect.” This includes Guangzhou-born head chef Vincent Yan, who has hefty experience with Cantonese cooking. Expect renditions of classic dishes such as char siu bao with sticky jackfruit, or sheng jian bao with pork substituted for meaty wood-ear mushrooms. Starting on September 3, East’s yum cha will run every Sunday from 12pm to 3pm. Easteats.co.nz

Zi Sweet’s new cake collections
Paloma Harada and Nicholas Maestranzi of Zi Sweet have built a hugely successful business specialising in adorable, vintage-style cakes decorated in elaborately piped buttercream. They’ve just announced that they’ll only be baking pre-designed numbers from now on – rather than fully custom cakes – with the launch of their new cake collections. They span the vintage designs that the duo is known for (which come in a variety of colours and serve eight to 10 in round or heart shapes), as well as “everyday simple cakes”, which are still more elaborate than anything you’d make at home, and minis. All harness the playful nostalgia that Zi Sweet has become known for. zisweet.co.nz