Brisbane food identity and markets founder Jan Power dies

Brisbane farmers’ market mogul Jan Power has died at the age of 85.

Power’s family said the cook, arts patron and founder of the Jan Powers Farmers Markets, who helped transform Brisbane’s food scene, died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday night.

“Jan was a beloved and vibrant figure in the Brisbane community,” her family said.

“As the founder of the iconic Jan Powers Farmers Markets, still running at Brisbane Powerhouse, Manly Harbour and Blackwood St, Mitchelton, she brought together growers, food lovers, and local businesses, creating vibrant community spaces that have become an integral part of Brisbane’s identity.”

Power served on the board of the Queensland Performing Arts Trust and was appointed the first Cultural Ambassador for the city in 1977.

She presented food segments on ABC radio and was a food columnist for publications including Gourmet Traveller.

Born in Glen Innes in 1939, Power grew up on a sheep property in Stanthorpe. She was a trained nurse and qualified cook from Le Cordon Bleu in London.

Her family said Power’s motto was: “Life is uncertain, always eat dessert first.”

Mr Brisbane blogger and former arts editor of The Sunday Mail, Brett Debritz, paid tribute to Power as a “visionary”.

“She saw the potential of the farmers’ market concept before it was commonplace in Queensland, and she helped educate our palates,” he said.

“It’s the passing of an era. She was one of the great characters of the ’80s and ’90s.”

Kate Gould, director of the Brisbane Powerhouse, said that Power was “an extraordinary woman who had a great influence on Brisbane’s culture and food scene.

“She was a lover of the arts, and she brought her inimitable flair and style to champion the arts in everything that she did.”

Power is survived by her daughter Astrid Gates, who runs the farmers’ markets with her daughters Emily, Olivia and India.

Power’s other daughter, former radio personality Sammy Power, died suddenly in 2019 aged 55.