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Tony O’Connell started as a butcher’s apprentice in the Central Market Hall of Butchers at the age of 14. It was back in the days before occupational health and safety and young Tony would show off his strength by carrying three lamb carcasses at a time, dodging the cigarette butts in the back room as he went. Since then, Tony has seen many changes in how we buy and eat meat. Central to his success is his understanding that quality, reputation and cost are fundamental to market customers and he successfully bridges the old and the new, with his son also joining the family business.Support the show.

The Adelaide Central Market is magic. The sights, smells, sounds—the intangible energy of a productive bustle. For South Australians, the Central Market has been a fixture in life for 150 years. For many traders, it's been central to the family business for almost as long.  The Adelaide Central Market is the biggest produce market in the Southern Hemisphere, a national food culture icon, a meeting place, and a portal that makes the world local. It bridges nostalgia and the latest international food trends and it reflects the waves of newcomers to Australia and their influence on our culture. For the Adelaide Central Market's 150th anniversary, authors Katie Spain and Fiona Roberts have compiled a book, Adelaide Central Market: Stories, people & recipes, which captures the memories and stories of the traders of the past and the current faces that encapsulate Adelaide Central Market over the past 150 years. Kate and Fiona spoke to us about the book and what the Adelaide Central Market means to them.Support the show.

Lucia Rosella was a disruptor. Back in 1957, just a year after she and her young family arrived in Adelaide from Italy, Lucia injected her vibrant Italian hospitality—and Italian food and coffee—into the Adelaide Central Market. Today, Lucia’s Pizza and Spaghetti Bar is run by her two daughters Nicci and Maria. They  treasure their mother’s memory by ensuring her abundant sense of hospitality, and her recipes, still hallmark all that they do – from your next cup of coffee through to the global export operation they run from their Central Market HQ.  Support the show.

You cannot be alone or sad at Le Souk. Azou Bouilouta and his team will charm you into their world and their unique fusion of hospitality and authentic Algerian food. It should come as no surprise that Azou trained initially as a scientist. He is a master of the art and science of mixing molecules, spices and people into not just glorious food, but also  social connections and a true sense of belonging.Support the show.

Are you mistreating your cheese? Is your storage too cold? Too dry? Your cheese is alive and you need to take care of it, support it and enjoy it. Engage all of your five senses! That's the advice of Valerie Henbest, cheese aficionado and co-owner of Smelly Cheese. Valerie moved from the Normandy region of France to Adelaide some 20 years ago and, missing her French cheeses, turned to Peter Heaney at Say Cheese in the Adelaide Central Market for help. Together, Valerie and Peter now run an interconnected group of businesses that trade across Australia from their Adelaide Central Market HQ.   They supply magnificent cheeses from around Australia and the world, and they share the stories, the histories and the appreciation of everything cheese.Support the show.

Barossa Fine Foods is about a lot more than food. It's a social hub as much as a business for Barbara Knoll and her family. Their many loyal customers have been coming back for so long that their children and even grandchildren are now regular customers. In the face of a bland, click-and-collect shopping culture, Barossa Fine Foods is a hub of creative food culture and a celebration of South Australian produce.     Support the show.