The food market culture is booming. Aside from them being a must for cooks seeking out fresh ingredients and produce, it’s also become a popular haunt for social gatherings.
Banting markets are gaining momentum in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
More recently, the HalaalGoods Market joined the culinary bandwagon.
TREATS: Some of the offerings at the first HalaalGoods Market event.
Said organiser Fehmida Jordaan: “The Jozi market scene is wonderful. I love the vibe at these markets, which is supported by the public. However, I have struggled with finding halaal food. Some markets have, at most, one vendor.
"This limits our choices. The other reason is that there is such delicious food that can be offered to a wider market. The idea for the HalaalGoods Market was born in 2013. In 2016, I started scouting for venues to realise the vision I had - an artisanal market of handmade food and curated designs in one space. It’s a market that serves halaal food but is open to all.”
The curation process had to be meticulous.
Jordaan said: “We opened applications to the public asking for all manner of information such as menu, unique items and social media accounts so that we could get a sense of the businesses. We submitted all this information to a committee to select a variety of vendors who were offering both unique and traditional food. We also wanted to limit duplication.”
The first event was a success with 60 vendors offering a range of food, kids craft workshops, sweet indulgences, drinks and more.
Jordaan adds: ”We were very excited to have interesting flavours and fusion food being served at the market; from loaded fries, deconstructed pani puri, korean dim sum, spicy Asian wings, bunny chow, ice cream macarons, gourmet popcorn, mini dessert entremets and fresh squeezed juices.
“The next event is planned for October in a bigger and better venue and we will announce the exact dates and venue on our social media channels soon.”