Perhaps one of the best signs that Melbourne is coming out of the deep gloom of the past two years is the opportunity for Melburnians to again take advantage of one of the best markets in the Southern Hemisphere to prepare their feasts for Christmas with some of the the finest, freshest, and most reasonably priced fare around.
The market is as much part of the city’s DNA as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open and it has long been a favourite of the Greek community in the city. Not to mention the fact that the Greeks have long been traders with their own stalls at the market catering to the needs of the community and the city beyond.
For the Greek communities that lived in the suburbs close to the Melbourne CBD, Queen Victoria Market was always the go-to place for Christmas shopping. Neos Kosmos‘ Angelas Tsipras said it was part of her family’s tradition to make the half-hour walk from their Fitzroy home to the market for the “Christmas lunch shop”.
“Mum would get the shopping trolley and we would choose a nice day and go for our walk. She had her favourite butcher and delicatessen and, back then, they were some of the only ones around, who stocked what she needed, for a traditional Greek feast,” Ms Tsipras said.
“They also spoke Greek, so she could communicate with them well, as her English was limited. In the 1970s and early 80s, it was not as easy to source the ingredients that Greek cooking required. So, a relationship would establish between shop owners and customers and many happy memories and bonds formed.
“Queen Vic market is one of those places where if you ask a lot of Greeks who lived in the inner-city suburbs, they would also have similar stories to tell. That is why holds a special place in our memories,” Ms Tsipras said.
Fani “Faye” Konstandinidis
For Fani “Faye” Konstandinidis-Kanarev, the owner of Queen Vic Deli (Shop-36-38, Dairy Produce Hall, Queen Victoria Market) has been a part of her life since her childhood. She grew up working there, becoming an owner and marrying the man who was a customer.
“When I finished school on Fridays we would go as a family to the market. We would shop at the deli that Dad ended up buying,” said Ms Konstandinidis.
Her father, Theodoros, originally from the Florina region, came to Australia with his brothers and a sister when he was 18. He went on to work on the Snowy River project, saved money and returned to Greece where he met and married Athina. They returned to Australia where they both worked in factories and raised their family of three children, Ms Konstandinidis is the eldest and two brothers Steven and Darren.
“In the 1980s Dad decided to go into business. He tried a few ventures and when the deli owned by a lady called Theano came up, he bought it. We worked there as kids every Friday, after school and then Saturdays.
“We did that for a year and then Dad sold the business. Mum went to work for another deli, which is now my deli, Queen Vic Deli, while I went to work for a deli run by Georgina Kigaris and I learnt a lot from her.”
Ms Konstandinidis went to university and graduated with a social science degree from Deakin University. For a few years she worked in Florina and Thessaloniki and travelled around Europe but when she returned the market beckoned. Her mother had bought a stall while she was away and another stall came up for sale which Ms Konstandinidis bought on her return to Australia in 1996.
Her brother, Steve, a carpenter, helped renovate her deli and she was one of the first to introduce refrigeration to the market setting a modernising precedent that the other delis followed. Steve bought another stall, the Epicurean, her mother ran Tina’s Deli and Ms Konstandinidis ran the Queen Vic Deli.
“We faced each other, we competed with each other but we specialised in different produce. I believe that the personality of the shop reflects the personality of the person who is running it,” said Ms Konstandinidis, who kept the books for all three family businesses for next 17 years.
“The deli business is always evolving and you have to go with the flow. Partly it i(what dictates the produce on display) is cultural but it is also affected by fashion. A lot of Aussies are coming to the market who know their food. You learn a lot from people and you also have to get new products that you think people will like.”
Besides the quality of the produce, the market’s ambience is something that you will not find in a shopping mall or supermarket.
“You shop here (at the market) you meet the owner. You build relationships with people and you meet all sorts who come to the market. I met my husband, Nicholas Kanarev, through the market. He was a customer at the deli for 10 years,” she said.
The couple have three young children and the eldest, Alexander, will be helping at Christmas.
“The plan is that the children will all help. It is a good grounding for life and they will pick up many valuable skills for life,” she said.
Ms Konstandinidis has already organised what produce will be available for Christmas at Queen Vic Deli and all of it is high quality.
“I have Panetone from Italy, plum pudding from Victorian producers, a wide range of quality cheeses and antipasto, caviar and salmon. I source most of my products from local producers who process the ham from Victorian sources using traditional curing and smoking methods that are labour intensive and of superior quality that you will not get at supermarket.”
“Many come to the market once a year just to do their Christmas shopping because they want the best for their Christmas tables,” she said.
“The best time to come to the market is in the morning when it is quieter as a lot of people like the convenience of getting up late in the morning to start their day” Ms Konstandinidis advises.
READ MORE: Peter Kaparis keeps Greek presence in Queen Victoria fruit market
George Milonas
George Milonas, the owner of George the Fishmonger at Shop 35 in the Meat and Fish Hall on the Elizabeth Street side of the market also has had a long association of market trading.
“My dad, Dimtirios, had a stall in the old Fish Market in the 1980s. I used to spend the holidays filleting fish and making deliveries for Dad.
After school Mr Milonas, went into the hospitality industry until the late 1990s.
“Food seemed to be where I was most drawn,” he said. For a few years he went into the clothing industry with his sister, Helen, but the pull of the market drew him back in 2005.
“I first went into seafood with friends. I bought the stall next door with Helen until she passed away in 2015 and I have been on my own since then.
“The Queen Victoria Market is a bit of lifestyle that is hard to get out. There is a lot of camaraderie among shopowners and it can be very rewarding but also taxing particularly with the early starts.”
Mr Milonas is up at 4.30am every market day to get the produce fresh from the wholesalers. Queen Victoria is usually closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“We specialise in Australian products: salmon and tuna, a lot of prawns, but we also provide variety. Much of what we get is wild caught, including the prawns. But seafood is seasonal so there will be a time for more prawn, scallops, snapper and so on.”
“Christmas is a special time. We had a good Christmas last year and are looking forward to a good one this year as people will want to celebrate being together this year.
“The big sellers are oysters, prawns and lobsters. We also have Moreton Bay Bugs. There is a huge variety of fresh produce. Being in a market there is a good turnover of fresh produce and the prices are good because we have to be competitive.
Supermarkets cannot compete with the freshness of the produce sold at the market.
“What you will buy at the supermarkets will probably be a few days old as it will have been bought from an agent and then stored for distribution in big warehouses before reaching the shops.
“When the salmon arrives in Port Melbourne from Tasmania in the night, it will be in my window the next day. We are very quick in getting the fish out for sale. You hold the fish for too long and it spoils and you lose goodness and flavour.”
His advice for those preparing for Christmas: “Keep it simple with salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil and let the flavour come out. Also get to the market early, don’t leave your shopping to the last minute.
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Stan Liacos
The CEO of Queen Victoria Market Stan Liacos told Neos Kosmos that it was good to get people coming back to do their shopping after nearly two years of trade stifled by the pandemic.
He said that the Queen Victoria Market would be open for four straight days in the week leading to Christmas, from Tuesday 21 December to Friday, 24 December including on Wednesday when the market is usually closed.
He said that the for the next two Wednesday nights there would be a food truck festival with the full Wednesday night market resuming on 5 January.
“All times are good to come and shop at Queen Victoria Market but it worth keeping in mind that the market’s car parks are free from before 9am each day after which parking fees are $6 for two hours” Mr Liacos said.
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“There is heaps available. The freshest produce at the best prices all in one place. There is nowhere else where you can get this degree of intense competition: There are 10 fishmongers, 30 butchers, 35 deli specialists, five poultry specialists, 35 fruit and vegetable stalls.
“Our market stallholders don’t have copious storage space like supermarket chains, so their produce has to be fresh. It comes straight from the wholesale markets that morning.
“There has never been a better time to let loose and celebrate Christmas and spend quality time with family and friends after two horrible years,” Mr Liacos said.
READ MORE: Peter Kaparis keeps Greek presence in Queen Victoria fruit market