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School and Parish Support Important Ingredients in Australia’s First MasterChef Success

 

By Marilyn Rodrigues

Thomas, Patrick and Joseph Goodwin have known that their mum was pretty special long before she became one of the country’s most famous mothers as the very first Australian MasterChef.

The brothers, who attend Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary, Wyoming, and St Peter’s Catholic College, Tuggerah , are proud of Julie Goodwin’s success but say it was hard being without her for four months while she competed in the hugely popular reality TV show.

Julie and her husband Michael say they drew upon their Catholic faith and support from family and friends, especially their friends in their parish (Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic parish in Wyoming), to get through the hardest times.

“I missed her a lot,” recalls Paddy.

“It was very tough without her,” Tom, 12, agrees. “But the best things are knowing that my mum’s the very first MasterChef - and having her back home.”

Michael says he also received support from the boys’ schools, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary, Wyoming, and St Peter’s Catholic College, Tuggerah.

“At the primary school on the noticeboard out the front they put three separate messages up in support of Julie, which was nice. And after she won they gave her a bottle of wine and chocolates.”

While winning the competition has brought Julie lots of opportunities it has also brought extra demands on this busy working mum’s time.

Apart from the training and writing a cook book, Julie will also write a regular cooking column in the Australian Women’s Weekly. And there are other obligations and opportunities relating to her MasterChef title while she ultimately works towards one day opening her own restaurant on the Central Coast.

“It’s opened up a whole new world,” she says.

But the family always come first.

“While I was away, the boys had a sign up on the wall telling them that I loved them and to brush their teeth, do their homework and say their prayers.”

“They are good boys,” she adds proudly. “They’re beautiful.”

 

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