Then and now
As the Adelaide Central Market undergoes a transformation, some of the longstanding traders share their precious memories.
The year ahead is an exciting one for the Adelaide Central Market. As work continues on the market expansion, including the major redevelopment of the neighbouring Central Market Arcade, the city is abuzz with anticipation.
At the heart of it all, is the original culinary cornucopia we know and love. There’s a lot to be proud of. Stop long enough for a chat with multi-generational traders and the memories and anecdotes flow. Chances are the market will outlive us all but the memories are ever-evolving.
Chester Frank
House of Health Collective
Tell us about your first day at Adelaide Central Market.
I remember it vividly. I was 16 and a staff member pulled out last minute on a Friday night. Dad needed a hand. I wasn’t going to say no – it meant leaving school early, which at 16 felt like reason enough. The pay was non-existent. “Love, not money” as Dad put it. Four hours, thrown straight into a Friday night rush with no idea what I was doing. The Market has a way of teaching you fast though. That Friday became a regular thing and I’m still here every Friday.
Fondest memories of growing up in the Market setting?
Christmas Eve at the Market is something I’ll never forget. The place transforms with every aisle packed and the energy electric. The smell of fresh seafood cuts through everything else. The lines at the Market fishmongers would sometimes stretch down Gouger Street. There was something almost theatrical about it, the controlled chaos of a market at full tilt.
How has the House of Health offering changed over the years?
The products have evolved enormously, but the shift that means most to me is cultural. For a long time, what we did was considered niche, the domain of a particular kind of customer. Covid changed everything. People who had never thought twice about what they were putting in their body suddenly started asking questions about ingredients, sourcing, nutrient density. Wholefood retail stopped being a subculture and became a mainstream conversation. What was once considered alternative is now just considered sensible.
Characters who are no longer there that you miss?
The affectionately-known ‘Banana Man’. If you were a regular at the Market in those years, you’ll know exactly who I mean – a true character in the old school sense, working the aisle daily with his 99 cents a kilo spruiks. Think Con the Fruiterer, but live and in person. The Market produced people like that, larger than life, genuinely beloved.
Fun facts about HOHC that people wouldn’t know?
We still make our own nut butter blends in house every week and have done for years. The range has evolved over time, but nothing has captured people quite like the Gingerbread Spread. Roasted almonds and macadamias, a secret spice blend, and just enough coconut sugar to tie it all together. It’s become a cult favourite. If you haven’t tried it, that’s your homework!
Brett Charlesworth
Charlesworth Nuts
Fondest memories of growing up in the Market setting?
I have clear memories of walking into the Market either from Gouger Street or coming down the escalators and immediately noticing the unique smells. There was the smell of the ultra-fresh fruit and veg produce picked that morning, mingled with the seductive, very distinct smell of peanuts roasting. The noise of the Market was (is) unique as well. Whether it was the bustling, vibrant hum of milling customers or the fruit and veg boys shouting out their specials, or the background noise of fun and laughter, it was always just a hive of activity.
Favourite time of year at the Market and why?
Without a doubt, the weeks leading into Christmas. I vividly remember one Christmas Eve in the late 1970s, when Christmas Eve fell on a Monday. The Market only traded Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays back then but opened especially on the Monday for Christmas Eve. We arrived at 5.30am and started preparing the store ready for opening at 6.30am. The roller doors were down so we couldn’t see what was happening in the aisleways outside the store. I remember hearing a noise starting to build as we worked inside the stall. Just a gentle hum at first that increased in volume and rose to a crescendo. When I went outside to open our roller doors, I couldn’t believe the number of people who were already in the aisles. They were packed in like sardines and the noise of voices and movement was deafening.
How have your products changed over the years and why?
On May 26, 1934, when my grandparents Herbert and Doris first opened their nut store in the Adelaide Central Market, we had about 30 different nuts and dried fruits. When our father Chappy took over the Market store in the 1950s, among other things he introduced hot dry roasted peanuts and a range of hot fried nuts all cooked on site. A small range of confectionery and chocolate coated nuts were also introduced during the ’60s and early ’70s.
What’s your Market secret?
My favourite little nook or space was the small kitchen at the back of Lucia’s. It was so warm and inviting and the smells were to die for. The magic that was produced from that little area was amazing.
Fun facts about Charlesworth?
Herb bought the small nut stall at the Market in 1934, in addition to a fruit and veg stall and a drinks stand. The family story goes that the nut stall was to give his wife Doris (my grandma) “something to do” as if raising two small children in the tough 1930s wasn’t enough. We think this story is tongue in cheek. When Chappy introduced hot dry roasted peanuts in the 1950s he had two peanut roasters made in the back rooms of the Holden factory and installed them into our Market stall.
Alex Savvas
Con’s Fine Food
Fondest memories of growing up in the Market setting?
I’ve been in the market my entire life and working full time in here for 32 of my 42 adult working years (the other 10 years were “part time”). I’ve had the privilege of meeting celebrities like Jimmy Barnes, Sia, Bryan Ferry, Bruce Springsteen, John Cleese and many more, but the best memories have been with the countless number of staff that have walked through the doors of Con’s Fine Food. We try to have a workplace environment that balances hard work while having fun and when this comes together it creates the best of memories. I’m still very close with many staff who haven’t worked for us for 20 or 30 years.
Which stallholders do you have the best banter with?
Without a shadow of doubt, the “gang of five” are my best mates in the Market. Who? Peter, my neighbour from Central Market Flowers, Frank from Vegas Poultry, Mark “Brossy” Brosnan from the Mettwurst Shop and Bill from Smiley’s Tuckshop. We have lunch every Tuesday together and our Friday lunches are an indulgence at any one of the fantastic restaurants on Gouger Street, more often than not at Gaucho’s where Joe makes sure we leave with full bellies. However, my cousin Ross who, together with his wife Nea, have their own stall in the Market, holds a special place in my heart. We have shared many memories together and they will live on for many years.
How have your products changed over the years?
There are so many products that we no longer sell and there are so many products that have now become staple items. Originally, the business was established to cater to European migrants who simply couldn’t find the groceries they were accustomed to buying in their homelands. As time went by, these original migrants became used to the “Aussie” palate and similarly, Aussies began to take a liking to European foods. Today, things like smoked eel, rollmops and white pudding are rarely sought after, while pickled octopus, mortadella and olives have become staples.
What’s the story behind the trophy tucked away behind your stall?
The trophy dates back 30 or so years. We came up with the idea of having an “in-house” market soccer match (my brother Anthony would correct me there and say ‘it’s called football’), between the Greeks, Italians, Aussies and the Cyrils. The Cyrils were two guys that previously had fruit and veg stalls in the market who formed their own team.
What’s your best kept secret there?
Above one of the stalls (we won’t mention which one) on the mezzanine level, we have a couple of very comfortable armchairs and a small coffee table. On the odd occasion a few of “the gang” will gather for a quick chat. Sometimes it’s just a couple of us, other times there’s a gathering of quite a few. Either way, it’s a good time to relax for a few moments and have a laugh with fellow traders. Around Christmas, Easter and other very busy periods, those armchairs have seen many a person have a quick 20-minute nap if work allows, a much-needed break with 15-to-18-hour work days around those busy times.
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Paul Bulley
PhotoCo Camera House
Tell us about your first day at Adelaide Central Market?
I remember being a young school kid and having our staff from our family’s stall, tying me up with duct tape and leaving me near the escalator to hop back to our shop. As a baby, my parents also used to grab me fresh oysters from one of the seafood stalls.
Fondest memories?
Food, food and food. As a child walking around with my parents and having O’Connell’s butchers giving me a slice of fritz, Con’s and Barossa Fine Foods a slice of cheese and everything in between.
Do any customers stand out over the years?
Yes, and so many at that! From the original Village People, to many famous repeat customers being famous actors, producers, photographers and musicians. It was, and still is, amazing to have customers tell me that they have been served by my grandparents, my parents and now my brother and I.
How have your products changed over the years?
We have witnessed generations of transformation in the photographic industry. From glass plates to slides, to the latest digital camera. We used to hand colour black and white photographs and now we use Photoshop! We also used to sell the first video cameras. From the world’s first digital camera to a floppy disk digital camera, to the latest tech. Our products are continually changing.
Your Market secret?
Asking a store for advice on how to best cook a certain meal. For example, I would ask O’Connell’s butchers how to best cook a lovely piece of Scotch fillet, he would then send me to the Mushroom Man for mushroom sauce. The Mushroom Man would say, “To make a delish mushroom sauce you need some shitake and brown mushrooms, then head to McMahon’s to buy a few shallots and garlic, once you have done that, head to Say Cheese to buy some crème fraiche and voila!”.
Maria and Nicci
Lucia’s
Fondest memories of growing up in the Market setting?
Fruit barrows piled with vegetables, wheeling them around but never falling off. Shining pyramids of fruit, spruiking.
How has Lucia’s offering changed over the years?
Our menu hasn’t changed, it’s just broader. Fashionable milks (alternatives to dairy), lots of exceptions and allergies.
How have your products changed over the years?
Not everything was available when we first started, Lucia’s introduced Italian culture to the Market. The coffee culture happened later; when Lucia started in the market, we were making coffee on a stovetop. Tea and Bonox [beef extract] were offered at the time.
Fun facts about Lucia’s that people wouldn’t know about?
Pasquale, Lucia’s husband, would show customers how to eat spaghetti, as it was new to them, without using a knife. We sold Bex powder, we sold cigarettes, and Lifesavers, Cottee’s cordial, Coke spiders, double cut salad rolls with gherkin and pickled onions.
This article first appeared in the July 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.
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