In 1974 Frank and Mary Bonfante opened Frank’s Fruit Market in Haberfield, on a site that had already been a greengrocer for almost 50 years. Then, in 2019, when Frank and Mary needed to retire, John & Bree Velluti stepped up and took over what had become one of Sydney’s best providores – largely because they couldn’t bear to see a local icon like this disappear.
John and Bree have supplied some of Sydney’s best chefs for many years through their wholesaling business, Vellutti’s. And they bring the same commitment to quality and diversity to the range they carry in this small suburban greengrocers.
Haberfield has long had a big Italian population and been the place to find quality Italian food products. I first visited Frank’s in the late ‘80s (when iceberg was synonymous with lettuce) to buy ‘exotic’ radicchio and rocket for dinner parties. Frank’s has always been known for the best tomatoes and hard-to-find seasonal greens like cime di rapa.
John sources beautiful seasonal produce from local market gardeners who grow things like onions similar to the famed red onions of Tropea in southern Italy. But John and Bree – and Mary and Frank before them – do so much more than source great produce. They’ve created a community of customers that they nurture and who, in turn, support them and each other.
You can learn a lot just by chatting to other customers in the checkout queue on a Saturday morning. Service is at the heart of building one of Sydney’s best providores, and all of Frank’s staff love supplying their customers with recipes and cooking tips as well as alerts about what’s coming in or going out of season.
I’m proud to be collaborating with Bree and John on monthly tasting nights to celebrate the best of each season, from winter’s chestnuts to beautiful primavera produce such as asparagus, zucchini flowers and broad beans.
Each season we also host a dinner, like the Sagra del Carciofi e Arancia Rossa (artichoke and blood orange) evening we held last autumn at Sagra in Darlinghurst. We feasted on fried artichokes with bagna cauda and duck breast in blood orange sauce, accompanied by great Italian wine and music. Visit FranksFruitMarket.com.au to find out about upcoming events.
Bree Velluti Co-owner of Frank’s Fruit Market explains how they came to buy one of Sydney’s best providores:
“John and I are locals, so we’ve known Frank and Mary for many years. John and Frank also knew each other from the produce market.
When we heard they’d decided to pull down the shutters on Frank’s for the last time we were devastated. They needed to retire and hadn’t been able to find anyone to take on the shop. It’s not an easy life, getting up at midnight, to be at Flemington at 1am, then back in the store by 7am setting up the produce. Understandably, it’s not something many people want to take on.
We couldn’t bear to think of such an iconic and important part of the community disappearing forever. So, almost on a whim, we sat down with Frank and Mary and, over coffee with little more than a handshake, we bought Frank’s.
In November 2024, with Frank and Mary, we celebrated the shops 50th anniversary, and we’re proud to be continuing their legacy of supplying the best fresh, seasonal produce to Sydney’s passionate cooks.”
