From The Heart: Mindy Woods cooks from country

Celebrity Chef and Bundjalung woman, Mindy Woods, wants every Australian to start cooking with native bush foods.


Mindy's connection to the land shines through in her handpicked collection of native ingredients

Bundjalung chef, Mindy Woods, grew up harvesting, cooking and eating fresh native Australia foods straight from the source. “When I was a young girl together as a family we would spend days on end at the beach. One big family, one mob. We would catch fish and gather pipi and always have a big cook up — food straight from the sands and waters.” She also spent part of her childhood living in Asia and was inspired by the beautiful flavours and dishes she ate there, and she’d like to see Australians become as proud of our native food culture as we are of our multicultural food culture.

The magic inside a finger lime – nature's citrus caviar “I love the fact we are a multicultural nation and that we have openly embraced the foods and cuisines that represent the rich cultural tapestry that forms and strengthens our nation. One thing that’s been overlooked are our first people and their foods. I would love to see a Native food aisle alongside the Asian, Mexican and Mediterranean ingredients we so freely have access to in our major grocery retailers. ”



The vibrant flavours of Australian native food with Karkalla Byron Bay Spice Bundle, available here.

Mindy first showcased her use of native foods when she starred on the Masterchef TV series, she then went on to open her own native food restaurant in Cavanbah / Byron Bay. “People who came to the restaurant were shocked and pleasantly surprised by the foo ds we showcased at Karkalla. They were shocked to learn that these ingredients exist all around them and were saddened about how little they knew about Australian native foods. We have 6,500 ingredients unique to this land we now call Australia and most Australians would struggle to name ten.”

Freshly shucked oysters topped with bursts of native finger lime – a taste of the sea and the land

After closing the restaurant, Mindy has now taken the Karkalla experience back on to Country with outside dining and cooking experiences. She’s also just published a cook book making it easy for anyone on this continent to source and cook with native ingredients.

“The book, Karkalla At Home, is an invitation for the wider Australian audience to connect with First Nations culture through food. We are home to the oldest living civilisation on earth, we are home to the oldest food culture on the planet. This is something we should all know about, embrace and celebrate.”

Mindy in her element, crafting native - inspired dishes at Conscious Ground

If you’re living on or visiting Bundjalung Country, Mindy says to keep an eye out for Boojoi or Lomandra/Spiny - headed mat - rush. “Boojoi is one of the many essential bush tucker plants that dates back thousands of years among First Nations Australians. Its heavily scented flowers are soaked for nectar, its seeds can be grounded to flour to make a rustic damper or roasted ground as a “coffee”, and the pale green base of the pulled leaves can be chewed with a flavour resembling fresh baby peas.” Boojoi can be found across much of the continent.

A closer look at the Boojoi: Mindy shares the beauty of its leaf, traditionally used for weaving

She also invites you to pay attention to local cultural seasons that come from the land and tell us local knowledge about certain times of year. “Cultural calendars detail the intricate understanding of the lands, skies and waters, and the animal and plant behaviour within that is centra l to the care and management of land.” Mindy explains that on Bundjalung Country we have six seasons, “Wet season yirrimbu (Jan - Mar), Mullet Season guyumbu (Mar - May), Cold Season waringu (Jun - Jul), Windy Season yarrgehmbu (Jul - Aug), Goanna Season gagabalingu (Sept - Oct), and Thunderstorm Season moogerahmbu (Nov - Dec)”.

Picking finger limes fresh from the bush

Mindy is passionate and generous with her sharing of knowledge about native foods.

“My hope is that if I can inspire everyday Australians to embrace native ingredients into some of our favourite family meals we will find a way of feeling a connection to this beautiful place we now call Australia.”

You can learn more about Karkalla On Country experiences and buy Mindy’s book on the Karkalla website . You can also follow Mindy on Instagram .