Julie Goodwin is the epitome of the busy Australian mum and the nation’s favourite home cook. In 2009, a record-breaking 4 million Australians tuned in to watch her become the first ever winner of ‘MasterChef’. Viewers loved her honesty, sense of humour and humble cooking style, and when her first cookbook, Our Family Table, was published, she became one of Australia’s best-selling authors; her book held the number one slot in the book charts for over 10 weeks. Julie’s family-focused style of cooking and ‘mum next door’ persona made has turned her passion into a hugely successful career.
A native Sydneysider, Julie’s first career was as a youth worker. She spent many years presenting workshops in schools across Australia before working at a juvenile detention centre on Sydney’s Central Coast. After having three boys in quick succession, Julie and her husband Michael started their own IT Company, which they built into a success through hard work and determination.
Shortly after winning ‘MasterChef’, Julie became a regular guest on Nine’s top-rated breakfast show ‘Today’ and began writing her regular recipe columns for Australian Women’s Weekly which continues today. She has published six cook books, Our Family Table, Heart of the Home, Gather, $20 in 20 minutes, Homemade Takeaway and The Essential Cookbook.
Julie has turned her MasterChef win into a hugely successful media career. She opened a cooking school Julie’s Place on the Central Coast NSW. In 2015 Julie made the gutsy move to head into the South African Jungle on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’.
Today, Julie is the co – host of the Central Coast’s Star 104.5FM Breakfast Weekday Show. Rabbit and Julie crack each other up. It’s pretty much as simple as that. They’re a team that thrive on positivity, backing stuff in and having a go!
Always one to get behind a good cause, Julie currently supports several charities and is a proud ambassador for the McGrath Foundation, and ChildFund. Julie lives on the NSW Central Coast with her husband and three sons.