Meet Market Organics Wholefood

Chef Jodie Cooper

Jodie’s relationship with food started early. She was cooking from a young age, even if it wasn’t exactly encouraged at the time. Her nana famously told her that becoming a chef was a ridiculous idea and her mum steered her away from home economics altogether, worried it would reinforce old-school stereotypes. Jodie laughs about it now, because, of course, food found its way back into her life anyway.

Her path into wholefoods was shaped by both study and real life. While studying naturopathy, Jodie began to understand the deeper connection between food and health but it truly hit home when her daughter faced health challenges at just two years old and needed to remove sugar, wheat and dairy from her diet. From that point on, food was never just fuel. It became a powerful tool for healing, nourishment and care.

For Jodie, food has always come first and the job part followed later. In her thirties, she opened a vegan restaurant, which she describes as a huge adventure and an even bigger learning experience. By the end of it, she jokingly declared she’d never cook again… until life brought her right back to the kitchen.

Jodie’s food philosophy is simple: plant based, uncomplicated and delicious. She wants people to feel present when they eat her food, grounded, nourished and connected to the moment. At Market Organics, she draws inspiration from the people around her: the staff, the customers and the shared love of real food.

What she loves most about her role is being able to work directly with what’s on the shelves, seasonal, organic produce, and turning it into vibrant, nourishing dishes. Salads are her happy place (there are endless possibilities) and while she jokes about many ingredients, feta gets a particularly enthusiastic mention.

When it comes to health, Jodie sees food as part of a much bigger picture. Nutrition, happiness and wellbeing are deeply connected. She also believes that how we eat matters just as much as what we eat and for her personally, fasting has played an important role in her own health journey. Her advice for customers is simple and practical: simplify your meals, choose organic and local where you can, and know what’s in your food.

At home, you’ll usually find Jodie cooking with mushrooms and avocado, and while she doesn’t tie food to nostalgia, her love of cooking shows like Ready Steady Cook definitely left its mark. She’s firmly team savoury, though she admits she’s warming to sweet things with age and her comfort food of choice is Loco Love chocolate. One ingredient she couldn’t live without? Peanut butter. No hesitation.

Jodie first joined the Market Organics team at the Woolloongabba store in what was meant to be a temporary role, filling in over Christmas while transitioning out of a corporate HR career. But something unexpected happened. Being back in the food and health space brought her back to herself, to her roots. She found connection again: to food, to people and to a way of living that felt aligned. What makes Market Organics special to her is the community. Regular customers feel like family, and coming to work feels like an extension of home.