Sometimes you gotta share what ya gotta share!

vegangela_food

harriette

matthew

paleofoodies

urbanlistsyd

jaddanbruhn

Merci Beaucoup!

@alexisgerman

jess

gobbled_gulped

@serenavanderw00dsen

jose

@racine_eames

emily

Sharing the love with Jo

How long have you been a fan of Kings Cross Markets

I moved to the area (Potts Point) in February, so I've been walking up to the Saturday Markets at least once a fortnight since then!

To be honest I'd never been before I moved in.  I always used to drive to Bondi or Darlington.

Is this a solo expedition or has the fortnightly ritual become a group activity

Sometimes I love to wander through the markets on my own.  I love being able to listen to the happy bustle and take my time meeting and chatting to strangers.

Occasionally I'll be a meeting a friend for brunch, so we'll organise to meet at the Fountain and wander through the markets before heading off.  I love showing my friends through the stalls.  Everyone I've brought down to the markets is a huge fan!

Do you have a "must have" or is it more of a "let's meander and see what the day is in store and I'll buy whatever takes my fancy"

I always buy flowers.  I have a really cute little sunny area in my apartment that just lights up with a happy bunch of flowers in it.  So that's the staple.

So that's the staple.  I always buy veggies too, although the veggies change a little depending on the season.  And I usually buy a tub of coconut kefir as well...if you don't know what that is, try it at the markets one day!  It will change your life!  Think yoghurt on steroids!

Do you have a fave meal using produce from our markets 

I loooooooovvvvveee the French Cheese (La Planchette).  I love to stand at his stall and keep asking questions, so he'll have to keep talking in his French accent.

I often buy a small cheese wheel from him, so often my Saturday night night meal will include fresh veggies from the market and some of my French cheese.

If you could sum up the "vibe" of Kings Cross Markets in one paragraph what would it be

Fresh and friendly.  Who could want more!

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Our thoughts precisely!  So our recommendation is obviously to visit our markets, see what's on offer, try some of the Coconut Kefir from Amphore, drown in French cheese heaven with La Planchette, buy some organic produce, catch up with friends and perhaps make some new ones while you're there!

Huge thank you to Jo for sharing her time, her photos and her love for Kings Cross Market and look forward to seeing you there sooner rather than later!

5 Questions with Bao Wow

Can you give us a little bit of insight behind the origins of Bao Wow

Originally known as "Gua Bao", it's Taiwanese streetfood that has come into fashion in fine dining restaurants internationally over the past few years but hasn't really been available on the cheap eats scene in Sydney.

The true Taiwanese version has a slice of braised pork belly, coriander, peanuts, pickles, mustard greens and red sugar.  

I've known I've wanted to run my own stall for a while now and when I came across Gua Bao I knew it was the perfect product to sell.  

The original food is excellent but I decided to freshen it up to suit our climate and culture and my own personal taste.  I think the balance between the freshness of the herbs and cucumber combined with the juicy porked roll and fluffy steamed bun makes a perfect match for market brunch.

Even though still somewhat "new" to Kings Cross Markets, you have already established yourself as a firm favourite.  How encouraging has this been for you

To be honest it's a total surprise.  I took a risk and it's definitely paying off.  We've only been going for about 6 weeks and this is my first experience at running a market stall, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but we have already weekly regulars!

It's a fantastic feeling when someone buys a Bao, then comes back to tell me how much they enjoyed it.  Hearing feedback really makes it all worthwhile.

Where do you source your produce from and how long does it take to prep for market

We get our free range pork from AC Butchery in Leichhardt which has a really great range of meat products, and all our vege and herbs from the Vietnamese supermarkets in Marrickvile (around the corner from my house).  I do all the prep on the Friday before market (eg: making the dough and rolling out over 100 buns that are triple proofed, braising the pork so I can pull it in the morning).  

It's pretty labour intensive but it's worth it for the end product.

What is it about market life that keeps it "real" for you

Being able to work outdoors is part of the reason I was drawn to market life and it's as rewarding as I thought it would be (although we haven't had a rainy day yet!).

I also love the camaraderie between stallholders, swapping Bao for a bunch of organic bananas or the best baklava in the world from two stalls down.

In 5 words, how would you sump up life as a stallie at Kings Cross Market

Tiring, rewarding, exciting and delicious

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Delicious is as delicious does and if they sell out week in week out then obviously they are doing something right!

With thanks to Bao Wow for not only sharing some time and photos with us but being part of our Saturday Kings Cross Market Family and as the man who wears the hat says "do yourself a favour" and make sure you swing by to try one of these little beauties (ps: while you're at it, why not let them know you've read the blog too!)

A little bit of Savoury Jems

Can you give us a little bit of insight into the background of Savoury Jems

Savoury Jems came about when we decided my mother's cooking was simply too good to keep to ourselves.  We had to share her food with the world so Savoury Jems was born.

She had had some catering experience when she was younger but then decided to concentrate on catering for her 5 children.  With the sudden passing of my dad, mum felt understandably lost, but through her cooking she slowly found herself again and she has a truly amazing passion for it.

The "Jem" part of the name is a play on words obviously but is also derived from both my mum and dad's names: Jemaliye and Jemal.

The logo is a collaborative effort between a graphic artist and my sister Ayjan.  It represents the shapes and the many different flavours of our Boreks.

You do quite a bit of baking on site.  How long does it take to prep in order to have it ready for market day

Prep really does take all week. Early in the week mum goes to source only the finest ingredients from around Sydney.  She doesn't like to buy too much in bulk so as to keep things as fresh as possible.

The rest of the week is spent on preparation.  Mum gets up incredibly early every Saturday morning to prepare the dough for market so everything is all incredibly clean, crisp and packed full of flavour which we think is evident in our final product: the Borek.

Your fan base at Kings Cross Markets is ever increasing: what's the secret behind your success or is it a closely guarded secret that would require the "cone of silence" to be shared

There is no secret really.  Just a beautiful woman serving beautiful food.  The food comes from a unique Turkish family recipe which is packed full of flavour and has been passed down through the generations.

We like to treat our customers as family.  Whenever we can, we will stop and have a chat with them.  We get so much out of meeting new people at market that we like to return the favour through our food.  There's a lot of love in what we do.

What is it about market life that makes it tangible and fulfilling

The people!  Simple as that.  Life is about the people who move in and out of our lives every day.  At Kings Cross Markets you get to talk to lawyers, actors, hippies, hustlers and then some.

It's a beautiful tapestry and we love it.

How would you sum up life as a King Cross Market stallie in 5 words

Bloody hard work, amazingly rewarding.

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So if you would like to taste one of these little Jems, we absolutely recommend to get to market sooner rather than later on a Saturday and trust us, all you have to is follow the mouth watering aroma and and give one of these scrummy little babies a sample cause hand on heart.....(to use our favourite phrase) once tried, forever enslaved.

Birgitta Bites....literally (in the best way of course!)

When did you have your debut at Kings Cross Markets, and how did that come about?

I think I have been at Kings Cross Markets for about 6 years.  I actually started market life at Frenchs Forest Markets but wanted a Saturday market and as Kings Cross was closer for me I decided to give it a go.

I love Kings Cross because of its uniqueness and the customers are absolutely wonderful.  

Why the markets? I had returned from the USA after life as a professional chef and decided to try something totally different & it's just grown from there....and the journey continues!

You have an extraordinarily large (and ever increasing we must add!) fan base.  What is it about market life that keeps you baking?

Market life is an interesting business and not easy by any means.  It goes without saying, it's my customers who drive me.  They feel like an extended family and they also provide me with major input to my product range with suggestions and requests, which then provides me with the opportunity to go away, explore and create.

For me the big picture is this: there is nothing better than sharing food with others.

From a tiny little kitchen comes some of the world's amazing creations.  You have your core stock of goodies and have now ventured in to the world of gluten free (which we can personally attest to their deliciousness).  

From start to finish, how long does it take you to make these babies until they are ready for market?

I am continually searching for new ideas or variations of current ones.  Trends tend to dictate a little in what I make and that is as a result of requests from my customers.

Gluten free is a major example of this.  As allergies increase so then does the need to a) gain knowledge and b) find alternatives so as to accommodate and have it translated in my food. This cycle is never ending.

I can make variations of an idea and then make adjustments to what tastes good to me personally, which is a bit a "trial and error" process.

My customers are the final deciders because I will always let them know if it's a new product and then ask for their feedback, including any suggestions they feel might improve the product.

This process can take weeks sometimes or if I have struck the jackpot it will be an instant hit!

The best satisfaction for any stallie is when that golden 'sold out' sign goes up.  What has been your biggest sale of any product in one day?

Hmmmm. Well I guess the answer is a bit seasonal because at Christmas if I ever see another mince tart by Christmas Eve, there are times I would have to scream from the rooftops!

insert screaming!

But in winter it is always the Dulce de Leche Brownie

What does the future hold for the Queen of Baking?

At the moment I am starting my little big cake range, which is basically taking a cake like Raspberry Coconut (which is my best seller) and miniaturising it which you could take to afternoon tea's or as a gift.

They look sooooooo cute!

Beyond that?  Well it's about time I hit the web and joined the rest of the universe and expand access to those who can get themselves to the markets to find me!

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Fortunately for us, we CAN get to her at the Markets and so can you!  Every Saturday, Fitzroy Gardens (near that famous El Alamein Fountain) so if you haven't you must, cause once tried you will be forever enslaved.

And cause we can, we would like to thank Ciao Mag for allowing us to include this great little article they did on our Queen of Baking recently.

Ciao Magazine

A word from our admirers!