Julie Goodwin
Julie Goodwin | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1970 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Culinary expert, author, television personality |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Winning the first season of MasterChef Australia (2009) |
Julie Goodwin (born 31 October 1970) is an Australian culinary expert, author, and television figure. She rose to fame by winning the first season of MasterChef Australia in 2009, triumphing over artist Poh Ling Yeow in the final round.
Television
Chosen from a pool exceeding 7,000 hopefuls for the debut season of MasterChef Australia, Goodwin transformed her victory into a successful media presence. In 2010, she appeared regularly on the Today show with a weekly cooking segment and took part in a live cooking challenge on The 7pm Project, preparing meals in viewers' homes. Later that year, she became the host of Home Cooked! With Julie Goodwin on the Nine Network, where she shared practical home cooking advice alongside celebrity guests such as Gyton Grantley and Steve Waugh.
In 2012, she returned to compete on MasterChef Australia All-Stars, raising $35,000 for Lort Smith Animal Hospital. She also participated in the inaugural season of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2015.
Goodwin made a comeback in the fourteenth season of MasterChef Australia in 2022, finishing in fifth place among a combination of returning competitors and newcomers. In 2024, she joined the twenty-first season of Seven Network's Dancing with the Stars, where she was the fourth contestant eliminated. That same year, she appeared as a guest judge during the grand finale of Seven Network's cooking contest My Kitchen Rules.
In 2025, Goodwin competed on Claire Hooper's show House Of Games.
Books
Following her success on MasterChef Australia, Goodwin published her cookbook Our Family Table () in April 2010. This collection features family recipes, contributions from friends, and dishes she created during the show, including lemon diva cupcakes and passionfruit 'puddle pie.' The book also contains a blank chapter designed for readers to add their own recipes and photographs.
She subsequently released further cookbooks: Heart of the Home () in 2012 and Gather () in 2013.
Other
In 2010, Goodwin launched a Christmas music album through Universal Music that included a recipe booklet for a full Christmas dinner; half of the proceeds were donated to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
She established a cooking school named Julie's Place in 2014.
Between 2015 and December 2019, Goodwin co-hosted the morning radio program Rabbit and Julie Goodwin on Star 104.5 serving the Central Coast area.
Personal life
Goodwin lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales with her husband Michael and their three children.
In April 2018, she faced charges for mid-range drink driving after evading a breath test by making a U-turn; her blood alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.107. She received a six-month suspension of her driver’s license and was fined $600 after admitting guilt.
Since winning MasterChef Australia, she has spoken openly about her experiences with mental health difficulties.