When Julie Goodwin first stepped into the MasterChef kitchen in 2009, few could have imagined that, 17 years later, she’d be packing theatres across Australia – not to compete, but to tell her story in her own words.
Australia’s original MasterChef is hitting the road in February 2026 with a brand-new live show, Your Time Starts Now – a mix of cooking, conversation and candid reflection that promises “heart, humour and a few home truths.”
Tickets and tour dates are available at juliegoodwin.com.au/tour.
The everywoman who became a culinary star
When she lifted the MasterChef trophy in July 2009, Goodwin became an instant household name – the relatable mum of three who cooked her way into the nation’s heart with humble family food and a generous smile.
Her debut cookbook, Our Family Table, shot straight to No. 1, staying there for more than 10 weeks. Regular TV appearances, a decade-long column in The Australian Women’s Weekly, and the launch of her Gosford cooking school, Julie’s Place, followed soon after.
In an era when food television was dominated by professional chefs, Julie’s rise as the “home cook next door” helped redefine what a food hero could look like in Australia.
Australia’s evolving relationship with Julie
But fame, as Julie later admitted, came with weight she hadn’t anticipated. By the late 2010s, she had quietly stepped away from television, confronting burnout, depression and anxiety – struggles she would later share publicly in raw and honest terms.
“I’d built this image of being the happy home cook, and suddenly I couldn’t keep pretending,” she told ABC Radio. “The hardest part was learning to be okay with not being okay.”
Her candour marked a turning point. No longer just a celebrity chef, Julie became a voice for mental health awareness and self-kindness – a far cry from the glossy MasterChef kitchens where her story began.
When she returned for MasterChef: Fans & Favourites in 2022, viewers met a calmer, wiser version of the woman they’d first cheered for – still warm, still funny, but more grounded in who she was. She made it to the top five, winning over a new generation of fans.
Now 54, Goodwin is bringing all of that experience – the highs, the heartbreaks and the hard-earned wisdom – to the stage.
Her 2026 tour, Your Time Starts Now, will travel to major cities and regional centres, promising an evening that’s part cooking demonstration, part stand-up, part confessional.
“It’s not a performance – it’s a conversation,” Goodwin says. “I’ll cook, I’ll tell stories, I’ll probably cry a bit and laugh a lot. It’s really about connecting – the same way we do around a table.”
She’ll be joined on stage by her long-time radio mate, “Rabs”, for an unscripted night of banter, food and reflection. “We’ve shared so many stories off-air,” she says. “Now we get to share them with everyone else – live.”
Reinvention on her own terms
In many ways, Your Time Starts Now is Julie’s full-circle moment – a celebration of imperfection, resilience and joy. The woman who once symbolised domestic perfection now champions something far more real: the beauty of a messy, wholehearted life.
“I used to think success meant being busy and smiling through it,” she says. “Now, success is slowing down enough to notice what matters – and laughing about the bits that went wrong.”
Goodwin’s evolution mirrors that of the country that made her famous. Australia’s relationship with food – and with its TV chefs – has matured. We expect authenticity, not artifice. We want warmth, not polish. And that’s exactly what Julie Goodwin offers.
A seat at Julie’s table
Your Time Starts Now opens in February 2026, marking a new chapter for one of Australia’s most recognisable cooks – one built not on competition, but connection.
“I’ve spent years cooking for people through a screen,” she says. “Now I finally get to meet them – face to face. That’s the best part.”
Tickets and tour information are available at juliegoodwin.com.au/tour.