When Franco Aguilera describes his wife Jessica as "full of ideas", he's not exaggerating.
The founder of Newcastle Food and Flower Markets at Sandgate - and mother to the couple's three sons - is a human dynamo.
But first, Franco, the steadying influence who quit his job in construction management to work with Jessica full-time. He was born in Chile and came to Australia at the age of four.
"We were raised in western Sydney and I went to Holy Cross North Ryde," he says.
"Jess and I met in Sydney in 2003, at a salsa bar at The Rocks. The rest is history.
"Jess is definitely full of ideas. I often need to tone it down, however she is a powerhouse and continues to come up with ideas that always seem to be successful and thrive.
"I don't know how she does this. She comes up with the ideas, and I always seem to be the one that comes at it from a practical space. Together, we make it happen."
The couple opened Newcastle Food and Flower Markets in 2017 and it has, Jessica says, "grown organically since then".
"We have worked so hard over the last six years in creating a warm, kind and friendly atmosphere. It started out as just the flower markets, and now we have a successful cafe, a flower school where we run both career and lifestyle workshops, and a mini nursery," she continues.
"We are so proud of our cafe. People travel for our corn fritters and our coffee. Our house-made crumpets with lemon curd are also a huge hit.
"We have recently launched another arm of the business called Casadel Interiors, where you can browse beautiful homewares and unique pieces of furniture sourced from all over the world. This has been something I've wanted to do for the last 10 years.
"My dad was involved in importing furniture for many years and is now retired so he's loving seeing what I'm doing with this side of the business.
"As we don't have the luxury of foot traffic in good old Sandgate, we are continuously raising the bar with ideas. We listen to our customers and always love, bringing new ideas and products into the market."
Jessica grew up in Lorn and was, according to her parents, "very independent from a very early age".
"I even lied about my age to secure my first job at 13 years old," she tells Weekender.
"I moved to Sydney when I was 18 years old. It gave me so many opportunities at such a young age.
"My sister was already there so I felt quite comfortable arriving in the big smoke. I always knew I wanted to run my own business, and started my first company at the age of 23."
She ran a successful events and wedding business in Sydney until the pandemic struck, forcing her to change stop and think, and ultimately change direction.
"Like many of us, it put so many things into perspective, and what was important to me, and what made me happy," Jessica says.
"I craved coming home to Newcastle. It was a place where I wanted to raise our three boys. I also had a dream to start our very own flower markets in this growing city."
The couple welcomed their third son, Romeo, into the world in December 2015 and moved to Newcastle a month later. Jessica hit the ground running, planning events and launching Newcastle Fashion Weekend in 2018 before turning her attention to the market.
Six months ago she and Franco opened a flower market at Charlestown Square, and just last week they announced they are opening a cafe at the University of Newcastle's Hunter Street campus, NUspace.
"We were up against 30 other businesses and feel so proud that we were chosen to carry on our already successful brand into the city," Jessica says.
"Our new cafe will be the sister of the Newcastle Food and Flower Markets so our name will stay the same, and it will be heavily focused on seasonal produce - lots of healthy delights and handmade goodies, including rice paper rolls and a selection of sushi."
And then there's the lifestyle courses offered at Newcastle Food and Flower Markets, the most popular being the annual Christmas wreath workshop which attracts more than 600 people each year. Next year's workshops will be announced in January and cover everything from wedding bouquets to dried flower arrangements and wall design.
Franco says he will be "working with the university's architect to create a beautiful space for the new cafe".
"Both Jess and I often sit back and still can't believe what we have achieved in the last six years," he says.
"It's certainly not without hard work. Many of our locals know us from being here very early in the morning until very late in the evening.
"Having your own business certainly has its perks and low points, but when you work together as a team, you continuously feel proud of what you have achieved."
Newcastle Food and Flower Markets, 1 Rural Drive, Sandgate. Open daily from 6am.
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