Mindy Woods is a Bundjalung woman, chef, restaurateur, author and recipient of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 Champion of Change award. Nationally recognised for her award-winning work at Karkalla and globally celebrated for revitalising First Nations culture through food, Mindy blends cultural storytelling with contemporary gastronomy to honour the world’s oldest continuous food culture.
Mindy’s leadership is reshaping Australia’s culinary identity and inspiring global audiences to connect more deeply with Country.
She spoke to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
I live and breathe Northern rivers on Bundjalung Country. It’s where rainforest meet the saltwater and carries ancient story. Where the tides still carry memory. I love it because it holds everything—my culture, my family, my food. It’s a place that teaches you to slow down, to listen, to gather, to reconnect.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
It’s not in a restaurant—it’s on the beach. Pipi curry cooked over fire with my Nan, Margie Felton, surrounded by family. Sand between your toes, salt in the air, hands eating straight from the pot. That dish isn’t just food—it’s knowledge being passed down, it’s laughter, it’s belonging. It’s the kind of memory that stays in your bones.
FAVOURITE BAR
The Natural Wine Shop and Bar is a little hidden gem out in the Tweed hinterland. It feels like stepping into a secret – through that fridge door and into something intimate and considered. I’m usually ordering something skin-contact or a little wild, or one of their “fire” cocktails – something smoky, layered, unexpected. It’s not just about the drink, it’s the feeling – low light, good music, and conversations that stretch into the night.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Brookie’s Gin Bloody Mary poured heavy over ice, loaded with pickles, jalapeño juice, sea salt and native pepperberry. It’s sharp, it wakes you up, and it puts you back together.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
I keep coming back to places that feel grounded in who they are – where there’s a quiet confidence in the room. Somewhere like Myrtle in Melbourne, where the light is low, the energy is gentle, and the wine feels like it’s been chosen with intention. I love sitting at a bar like that, where the staff don’t just pour – they share. Every bottle has a story, every glass a connection back to land, season, and maker. I’ll usually ask for something minimal intervention, maybe a chilled red, and just settle into it. It’s that feeling I come for, where people care deeply about what’s in the glass, where produce and place are honoured, and where you can taste that respect in every sip.
FAVOURITE WINE
Right now, as the warm weather lingers in Byron I keep coming back to Banana Girl by Jilly Wine Co. It just feels like endless summer on Bundjalung Country; guava, passionfruit, white peach, that soft tropical lift and the right amount of funk. It’s light, it’s playful, but still grounded. The kind of wine you drink barefoot, on the beach watching the sun go down.
A WINERY YOU RECOMMEND
Margan Wines – there’s something really special about that place. Single vineyard, sustainably farmed, volcanic soils, you can taste the land in every glass. But it’s more than that—it’s the whole experience. The connection between the farm, the kitchen, the wine. It feels honest. Like everything has intention.
NEXT DESTINATION
Back to community. Always. But also further into Country – exploring more remote parts of Australia where native foods are still deeply embedded in everyday life. Places where knowledge hasn’t been interrupted. That’s where I feel most inspired.
DINNER WITH THREE FAMOUS PEOPLE – GO!
PERFORMER BAKER BOY. I’d want someone who brings language, culture and joy into sound. Baker Boy does that so powerfully – he raps in Yolŋu Matha and English, and his music feels like celebration and pride at the same time. There’s rhythm, there’s story, there’s connection to identity. He’d bring a kind of energy to the table that lifts everything—music as movement, culture as living breath.
COMEDIAN STEPH TISDELL Steph absolutely has to be there. Her humour is sharp, self-aware, and deeply grounded in truth. She’s the kind of person who can cut through tension in a room instantly and make everyone feel like they belong. Every table needs someone who can hold laughter and honesty in the same breath, and she does that effortlessly.
CHEF SEAN SHERMAN Sean belongs at this table because his philosophy mirrors so much of what I stand for – food as sovereignty, as memory, as reconnection. His work with pre-colonial Indigenous ingredients and systems isn’t just cooking, it’s restoration. I can imagine him at the fire, sharing knowledge in a way that feels generous, grounded, and deeply respectful of land.
And together, it’s not just a dinner party, it’s a circle of culture keepers. Music, humour, fire, food, and story all sitting in the same room, doing what they’ve always done: carrying knowledge forward, the way it was always meant to be shared.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT VIVID SYDNEY IN 2026
Being part of Vivid Sydney this year feels powerful. It’s an opportunity to bring our stories, our techniques, and our old ways of cooking into spaces that are ready to listen. I’m especially excited about cooking over fire and sharing kup muri—one of the oldest cooking techniques on the planet. It’s slow, it’s intentional, it’s about earth, heat, and patience. It’s the kind of cooking that connects you straight back to our ancestors. No shortcuts, no noise, just time, fire, and respect for what’s been here long before us.
And then to be cooking alongside Daniel Alvarez at the Sydney Opera House – that’s something truly special. Cooking alongside an Australian culinary icon in a space holds so much energy, and to bring First Nations food and culture into it feels like a shift. Like movement. Culture in motion. For me, it’s about showing that our food isn’t a trend, it’s a continuation. It’s living, it’s evolving, and it belongs right here, on some of the biggest stages in the country.
Culture in Motion at Sydney Opera House, May 22 & May 23, 6.30pm-9.30pm
Vivid Fire Kitchen on May 25
