She came in fourth place on Season 4 of MasterChef Australia, and Mindy Woods has used the years since to hone, develop and enhance her culinary knowledge and ability.
WATCH BELOW: MasterChef Fans & Favourites trailer
Proudly passionate about her food, country and culture, Mindy is back in the MasterChef kitchen to showcase world-class ingredients and dishes so often forgotten in family meals.
As a Bundjalung woman of the Widjabul Wia-bul clan, Mindy has a strong desire to connect indigenous and non-indigenous people with Aboriginal culture, art and stories through food.
“As a First Nations woman, nothing lights up my heart (and belly) more than Indigenous food and I’ll always take the opportunity to speak about it when I get a chance,” she wrote for Refinery 29.
“Indigenous food is so important to me because it connects me with my ancestors and culture.”
Her passion for food stems from her childhood, after watching her dad work as a cook in the Australian air force as they travelled across Australia and overseas.
“We were constantly on the move, which was an adventure,” Mindy told the Northern Rivers Review, adding that she went to eight different schools around Australia as well as having lived in Malaysia for a time.
“Food became a constant, as it’s how we connected with people and places,” she continued.
Inspired in the kitchen by her dad, and with a flair for savoury cooking, Mindy’s current favourite dish to cook is beautifully prepared snapper with native curry and handmade roti.
Her experience includes working as the Head Of Culinary Development for the Lotus Group, eventually moving into the role of CEO, before opening her own venue Karkalla in Byron Bay in 2020.
A year later she was asked by the Australian government to represent Australia as a guest chef at the World Expo in Dubai, an achievement she’s immensely proud of.
Out of the kitchen, Mindy loves to spend time at the beach with her wife Rachelle, a production manager with 10 and EndemolShine Australia’s Gogglebox Australia, and their two cats Leopold and Lucy.
The couple met during Mindy’s first run on MasterChef back in 2012, after they struck up a friendship during filming before entering a relationship two years later.
Now that she’s back for another chance of taking home the coveted MasterChef trophy, Mindy will have the full support of her family and friends behind her.
After all, it was her loved ones who put Mindy forward for the 2012 MasterChef season, after loving her cooking so much.
“It was an incredible time,” Mindy told the Northern Rivers Review. “It’s a unique experience that not many people are privileged to have.”
MasterChef Australia airs at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
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