{"id":25146,"date":"2023-03-27T14:14:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T12:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/?p=25146"},"modified":"2023-03-27T14:14:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T12:14:54","slug":"we-heart-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2023\/03\/27\/we-heart-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"We HEART the market"},"content":{"rendered":"

North Coasters are thrilled that Durban\u2019s iconic, monthly I Heart Market has made its home right here on our doorstep at Sugar Rush Park. We found out a little more about the ambitious human behind this beloved market. Meet Anna Savage.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A true creative, a rule-breaker and an entrepreneur who marches to the beat of her own drum, Anna is a Durban girl who left her chef career to create a platform for local craftspeople who didn’t have a place to sell their wares. A decade later, the I Heart Market is still one of Durban’s most loved and well-supported.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Market founder Anna Savag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. TELL US ABOUT YOUNGER ANNA<\/strong>
\nI grew up in Glenwood and went to Durban Girls High. From the first day of school I knew I didn’t want to go back (even though I had to continue for the next 12 years!). I’ve always proffered to do things differently. I don’t like sticking to the rules and I like finding fun, creative solutions. After school I travelled the world, working in restaurants in London and New York. This is where I discovered my passion for food and desire to become a chef. I trained at Christina Martins Chef School after returning home and then spent time running high-volume fine dining restaurants in Franschhoek. I returned to Durban a few years later and an opportunity to open a restaurant fell in my lap. Five weeks later, without much of an idea of what direction I wanted to go in, at the age of 26, I opened Manna – a day-time caf\u00e9 in Marriott Road. I loved being able to create the foods that I wanted to eat and the customers loved it, too!<\/p>\n

2. WHEN, HOW AND WHY WAS <\/strong>I HEART MARKET BORN?<\/strong>
\nAfter a few years, the strain of running restaurants took its toll and I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. I left the industry. Soon afterwards I discovered a gap in the market when I realised that no-one was showcasing locally-made products. I knew so many talented craftspeople who didn\u2019t have a platform to sell their wares and so I heart Market was born! Understanding the social habits of Durbanites I decided to host it once a month and the market grew fast. Our relatively small database of traders began to grow.<\/p>\n