Mindy Woods
Karkalla Byron Bay
JINGELLA... hello. Meet Mindy.
Mindy Woods is a proud Bundjalung woman of the Widjabul Wia Bul clan, restaurant owner & chef, with a passion for native food.
Mindy was a finalist on Masterchef AU 2012, a series and fan favourite Mindy Returned to the MasterChef Kitchen last year to compete in Fans versus Favourites. Prior to this Mindy was a physiotherapist for the Australian Defence Force.
In the last 10 years Mindy has immersed herself into a successful career in food, working her way through kitchens to run restaurants, became Director of Cuisine and then CEO of Lotus Dining Group before returning to country in 2020 to open her own Native Food restaurant Karkalla Byron Bay on ancestral land.
Her mission - to celebrate and connect people with indigenous culture through food. Mindy believes food is a powerful catalyst for positive social, cultural and environmental change.
At Karkalla Mindy shares her passion for local, seasonal produce and wants all Australians to embrace and celebrate native ingredients and their inseparable connection to Country and culture.