Explore Cuisine and Culture, Cooking School and Tours at the Adelaide Central Market : Amber visits this SA icon in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

Adelaide's Central Market is South Australia's most visited tourist attraction. For more than 140 years it's been a Mecca for foodies and with 80 stalls, the sights, sounds and smells help make it one of our greatest institutions.

For French born Chef, Jean-Claude de Toulouze, it was 'love at first sight' when he first visited the market 20 years ago on a trip to Adelaide.

Jean-Claude de Toulouse: "Fresh ingredients, healthy eating, fantastic lifestyle - that's what the market is about.”

Jean-Claude is now the Market's 'Chef in residence' - running a cooking school upstairs and conducting tours. Walking around the market with him is like visiting the United Nations as he greets the stallholders in one of the seven languages he speaks and teaches. He knows almost everyone and he loves a chat. But it's the produce that really gets him and it’s what inspires him in his cooking classes.

His purpose built demonstration kitchen is on level one. Decked out with the latest mod cons, it’s where Jean-Claude conducts his cooking and language classes. He draws on the years he spent travelling the world to recreate recipes with a distinct international flavour - that includes his own Dukkah - a fragrant blend of pistachio and macadamia nuts, roasted seeds and his special blend of spices. Jean-Claude loves his history and his food and he loves combining the two.

A tour and a class with Jean-Claude certainly gives you a different view of the wonderful world of food. And a lot of his secrets, including his Dukkah recipe are in his cookbook, 'Legendary Cuisine'. It's available throughout the market and good book stores.

Jean-Claude operates his cooking school, language classes and market tours from 'Explore Cuisine and Culture' headquarters on Level One - just take the lift from the Gouger Street entrance. He runs a range of classes for the public through to school groups and corporate clients. The Central market is open Tuesday to Saturday. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Explore Cuisine & Culture
Level 1 Adelaide Central Market
Gouger St
Ph 8212 9669

Adelaide Central Market
Gouger St
Adelaide
Open Tues-Sat

Published 28th February 2010