Byron Bay chef Mindy Woods has been honoured with the Champions of Change Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, recognising her efforts to elevate Australian native foods and Aboriginal cultural heritage through her culinary work.
The prestigious award celebrates unsung heroes of the hospitality sector who are driving positive action in their communities and creating blueprints for a more inclusive society. Woods, a proud Bundjalung woman, has made it her mission to promote native ingredients and bring Indigenous food culture to the forefront of Australia’s dining scene.
Woods gained national recognition after starring in the 2012 season of MasterChef Australia, which led to opening her restaurant Karkalla in Byron Bay and publishing a cookbook, “Karkalla at Home.” While she closed the brick-and-mortar restaurant earlier this year, Woods has pivoted to outdoor culinary experiences called “Karkalla On Country,” which take place near Byron Bay’s beaches twice monthly.
These immersive experiences offer guests the opportunity to connect with the land through cuisine, participating in traditional smoking ceremonies and walking through native food forests.
“I really believe native food will be such an important part of the reconciliation of our nation,” Woods told The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. “Most people don’t even realise how many native foods we have. If you went into the pantry of an everyday Australian, you’d be lucky to find any native foods. You might find macadamias or lemon myrtle, but we’ve got 6500 ingredients that are unique to this beautiful place we call Australia.”
The chef’s connection to native foods runs deep, rooted in childhood memories with her grandmother. Woods named her restaurant and business after karkalla, an edible succulent with anti-inflammatory properties that her grandmother used to treat burns and bites.
“Karkalla was the first native food that I picked with my beautiful nan when I was a little girl, so I named my restaurant and business in her honour,” she said.
Beyond her culinary ventures, Woods serves as a consultant with The Returning, an Indigenous-led non-profit that teaches bush skills and food to teenage schoolgirls. She was also recently appointed to the board of Black Duck Foods, an Indigenous-led enterprise advocating for native agricultural practices and food sovereignty.
The organisation is working toward establishing a native grain industry in Australia, a project Woods is particularly passionate about.
“We’re doing really deadly stuff with native grains,” she says. “First Nations Australians are the oldest bakers in the world. We’ve got grinding stones that go back 60,000-plus years.”
Woods’ recognition at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants highlights the growing global interest in Indigenous cuisine and sustainable food practices, positioning Australian native ingredients on the international culinary stage.
