Mindy Woods’ love of food started from a very young age and comprises some of her very first memories – family life centred around bringing people together through food.
In 2023, this proud Bundjalung woman of the Widjabul Wia Bul clan took this love to a new level becoming the Australian Good Food Guide’s first indigenous female Chef Hat winner with her restaurant Karkalla. She has lifted that again in 2024, being awarded 14 Hats for her take on native fare with flair.
This Byron Bay dining destination on Fletcher Street features locally sourced seasonal produce and native indigenous ingredients, alongside native-infused cocktails and Australian wines.
"At Karkalla we take ancient ingredients, the world’s oldest foods and create them into modern flavours,” Mindy tells AGFG. "Karkalla is not just a dining experience, it is a cultural experience that offers our guests a true taste of the country and an opportunity to connect with the world’s oldest surviving civilisation.”
Mindy shares her recipe for one of the most popular menu items at Karkalla – crispy saltbush with kutjera (bush tomato) and lemon.
"Our food was not just an ingredient our old people took from Country - it was a way they formed a relationship with their land. Our food often has three to four cultural uses and our crispy saltbush helps us share that story with our guests.”
Saltbush is a food source, medicine and a cultural tool for helping control and stop the spread of fire.
AGFG acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, to the Elders past, present and emerging.
