What happens when a little girl collecting bush fruits in outback New South Wales, not knowing she was poor, just knowing she was rich in country, grows up to launch the first-ever Australian Native Food Festival and win the most prestigious trailblazer award in the industry? You get Sharon Winsor.

In this extraordinary conversation, Sharon joins Tawnya Bahr to tell her story with radical honesty: the stillbirth that cracked her open at 21, the domestic violence that nearly took her life, the government consultant who told her bush foods would "never belong on a plate in a restaurant," and the quiet, relentless determination that built Indigiearth into something far bigger than a food business.

This is an episode about food sovereignty, cultural responsibility, and what it actually means to give back not once a year during Reconciliation Week, but every single day.

Episode Highlights

[17:00] — "It has purely been built on the back of desperation": survival, healing, breaking cycles 

[29:00] — The government consultant who said bush foods would "never belong on a plate in a restaurant" 

[46:30] — The jar of bush fruits confiscated at school and reported to welfare as "dirty food" 

[51:00] — Grassroots vs. bandwagon: who really owns the native food space 

[55:30] — What respectful engagement with native ingredients actually looks like for chefs 

[1:14:00] — Building the Australian Native Food Festival: $22k personal debt, 10,000 attendees, $225k back to Aboriginal businesses 

[1:26:00] — Winning the inaugural Bill Granger Trailblazer of the Year — the car park, the big screen, the speech she can't remember 

[1:32:00] — The Australian Native Food Festival returns: 25–27 September at Carriageworks, with the First Nations Bush Food Alliance delivering the industry trade day

[1:35:00] — Quickfire round: lemon myrtle, quandongs, kangaroo, morning coffee on the veranda, and a horse that keeps her sane

Key Takeaways

On cultural responsibility over commerce: "Indigiearth is not a food business. It is so much more than that." Sharon built her brand not chasing profit but chasing healing — and the community that came with it.

On what respectful engagement actually looks like: "Native foods is more than just an ingredient. It connects us to country, to storylines, to trading with our tribal areas, our songlines, Mother Earth. It's so deeply embedded in who we are as Aboriginal people." Chefs and businesses who want to use native ingredients are welcome — but they need to do the work.

On the tokenism problem: Sharon has sat in high-end restaurants and asked a waiter where the native ingredient was — only to have the chef come out and admit they were out of it. "Guys, that's not okay. You're misrepresenting what our food is. You're bastardising the industry."

On Reconciliation Week: "Aboriginal people didn't start that. Why are we needing to be the ones doing the reconciling?" Sharon only works with organisations that do the work year-round, not just when it's on the calendar.

On backing herself when nobody else would: She went into the first Australian Native Food Festival knowing she couldn't cover all the costs. She covered the $22,000 deficit herself. "I had to back myself and I had to back the bigger vision."

On the rise of all of us: "It's not about the rise of one of us. It's about the rise of all of us."

About Sharon Winsor

Sharon Winsor is a Ngemba Weilwan woman, award-winning Indigenous chef, and the founder of Indigiearth — a native food business grounded in over 30 years of cultural knowledge, community connection, and hard-won resilience. Born in Gunnedah, NSW, Sharon grew up foraging on country before bringing that knowledge to Sydney, then Mudgee, and eventually to the national stage.

She is the creator and driving force behind the Australian Native Food Festival,  the first of its kind and a founding member of the First Nations Bush Food Alliance, a peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the native food industry.

In 2023, Indigiearth won the prestigious Outstanding Native Producer trophy at the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards, and in 2026, she was named the inaugural Bill Granger Trailblazer of the Year at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Awards, presented by Kylie Kwong.

People & Places Mentioned

• Kylie Kwong — Longtime ally, friend, and the person who told Sharon she belonged in the room at the Good Food Awards. Presented Sharon with the Bill Granger Trailblazer award
• Ben Shewry — Featured at the Australian Native Food Festival cooking demonstrations
• Karima Hazim — Also featured at the festival
• Aunty Beryl — Shared cultural stories on stage with Kylie Kwong at the festival
• Raylene Brown, Aunty Pat Torres (Kimberley), Sharon Brindley (Victoria) — Co-collaborators on the First Nations Bush Food Alliance, working together for over ten years
• Bill Granger — The award bearing his name, in partnership with his family, was presented for the first time at the 2026 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards. 
• Indigiearth — Sharon's native food business, now including retail products, events, catering, Warakirri dining experiences, and more
• Carriageworks, Sydney — Host venue for the Australian Native Food Festival
• Gunnedah, Rocky Glen, Coonabarabran, Gulargambone, Mudgee — The country that shaped her

Dates for Your Diary

Australian Native Food Festival: 25–27 September, Carriageworks, Sydney, featuring the First Nations Bush Food Alliance industry trade day

Resources & Links

•  Indigiearth: Indigiearth.com.au
•  First Nations Bush Food Alliance: Follow Sharon on social media for the relaunch announcement

If you're a chef or a business that wants to use native ingredients respectfully, Sharon is open to masterclasses and conversations. Reach out via Indigiearth.

Have a story to share or a topic we should dive into? Drop us a line. 

About Straight To The Source

Straight To The Source brings you closer to the chefs, producers, growers and makers across the entire food chain, the people shaping where food is headed and why it matters. Hosted by food experts Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon. 

Follow, rate and review Straight To The Source to help more people discover the stories shaping Australia’s food and hospitality industry.

You can find us: 

• Straight To The Source Food Podcast: https://lnk.to/jBCTBE
• Straight To The Source Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/straight_to_the_source/ 
• Straight To The Source Website: http://straighttothesource.com.au

Tawnya Bahr 

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawnyabahr/ 
• Instagram: @tawnyabahr  
• Email: tbahr@straighttothesource.com.au

Lucy Allon

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyallon/ 
• Instagram: @lucy_allon 
• Email: lucy@straighttothesource.com.au

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