Food has a culture, a history, a story. It has relationships and identity.
As a proud First Nation's Bundjalung woman, nothing lights up Byron Bay’s Mindy Woods’ heart and belly more than native food and she’ll always take the opportunity to speak about it, share knowledge, grow it and most of all to cook with it whenever she gets a chance.
The first indigenous female Chef to be awarded an AGFG Hat for her restaurant Karkalla, Mindy has now diversified to produce native herbs and spices through her Karkalla range, along with offering an immersive culinary and cultural experience with Karkalla on Country, where you are taken on a journey which honours the land, ancestors and traditional wisdom through locally sourced native ingredients.
Her cookbook ‘Karkalla at Home’ shares Mindy’s love of food, heritage and culture and is a celebration of Australian native food. It is more than a cookbook, it is an invitation from her Edlers and the Bundjalung community to be part of the world’s oldest living civilisation.
"First Nations food is important to me because it connects me with my Country, my Culture and my ancestors,” she explains.
Her 'Karkalla on Country' series builds on the former restaurant’s success in Byron Bay, aiming to bridge the gap between the booming ‘bush food’ industry and its traditional knowledge holders to be part of an important change. The experiences are strictly limited to small numbers to ensure each guest has the opportunity to engage with culture and Country in a genuine and authentic way.
"This new chapter is about deepening connections to the land, indigenous culture and the sacred ingredients that sustain us,” she says. "Our goal is to ensure these ingredients are introduced to the marketplace with the respect they deserve."
Her latest event ‘Feast on the Flavours of Bundjalung’ included a guided tour through the food forest, shared knowledge of Bundjalung culture and history, an intimate cooking class, non-alcoholic beverages and a personally signed cookbook to take home.
Participants get to walk alongside Mindy on a guided tour to learn more about indigenous native food and how they and botanicals are traditionally used for food, medicine and as an integral part of the Bundjalung culture.
New dates are soon to be released for the next cultural and culinary experiences, click here to find out details.
Mindy also runs native food cooking classes where you can elevate your culinary prowess and confidence by working alongside Australia’s most-awarded native food Chef. These interactive and engaging classes bring a sense of culture and connection to an intimate culinary experience, click here for details.
You can access Mindy’s range of spices, seasonings and spice blends by clicking here.
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.
