Tomato season is back! And to celebrate, the much-loved Sauce Day returns to the Adelaide Central Market, transforming it into a celebration of food, family and Italian-Australian tradition.
From Friday, March 13th to Saturday, March 14th, Sauce Day will bring the memories of making sauce at home with the family at the end of each summer to the markets. This is a fresh take on the backyard rite of passage that’s been passed down through the decades, particularly within Italian-Australian families who gather each year to crush, cook and preserve tomatoes into passata.
“Sauce Day has always been about family for us,” shared Nicci Bugeja, of Lucia’s Pizza & Spaghetti
Bar. “Growing up, it meant gathering around the table, crates of tomatoes everywhere, music playing, and everyone lending a hand. It’s noisy, it’s messy, and full of love. To now share that tradition at the Market feels special. It’s a way of keeping our heritage alive and inviting others to be part of it.”
Across the two days, the Market will come to life with five guided sauce-making sessions, giving visitors the chance to learn the art of authentic Italian passata from the pros. At the Community Kitchen, chefs Luca Guiotto and Gabriele Pezzimenti will lead live cooking demonstrations, while live music and roving entertainment from The Sopranos and Sounds Continental dial up the festa vibes.
Fabienne Reilly, Adelaide Central Market General Manager, shared, “Sauce Day at the Market honours the Italian tradition of coming together in summer to bottle passata for the year ahead – something generations of Italian-Australian families have proudly done in their backyards for decades. Sauce Day is loud, joyful and a lot of fun!”
Joining the fun at the Market will be $10 trays of local cherry tomatoes from M&Ms Fruit Mart, $20 Lucia’s Fine Foods showbags, house-made gnocchi specials from Marino Fine Foods and Italian-style wine tastings courtesy of Serafino Wines at The Olive Tree.
There will also be pop-up tastings showcasing everything from charcuterie and Italian desserts to limoncello, amaretto and amaro, while family-friendly fun includes free face painting and a charcoal sketching workshop.
So if you’re looking for a weekend activity that’s messy, hands-on and totally delicious, this is one you won’t want to miss. Sauce-making tickets are sure to disappear quicker than you can say “passata”, so if you’re keen to roll up your sleeves, now’s the time to grab a ticket.
Sauce Day
When: Friday, March 13th and Saturday, March 14th
Where: Adelaide Central Market, 44 – 60 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000
Price: $25 per head
For more information, click here.
