Penny Woodward
Penny Woodward is one of Australia’s leading garlic authorities, as our head judge for the inaugural AGIA Australian Garlic Awards. Penny was pivotal in the formation of the original garlic awards which were hosted by the ‘Australian Food Awards’. Amongst other things, Penny Woodward is a freelance writer and photographer, the author of 8 books on edible and useful plants (including Garlic, an organic guide to knowing, growing and using) and was for 8 years the horticultural editor of the ABC Organic Gardener Magazine (retired 2022).
Penny has won 3 Horticultural Media Association (HMA) awards for her books and writing. She has a science degree in Botany and Zoology, has written numerous articles, is a regular on the radio in gardening talkback show and travels the country talking about plants.
Penny is a previous Australian Garlic Industry (AGIA) board member and is a Life Member.
Read more about Penny Woodward.
Visit her very informative website about Garlic species and cultivars.
Michele Jordan
We are delighted to have Michele Jordan join us again for the 2025 garlic awards.
Michele has an amazing sense of taste and smell, which adds another dimension to our garlic judging and compliments the skills of our other judges.
Michele has spent 30 years working with wine, based in London, New York and Australia. In her time in New York she has worked at the International Wine Centre conducting wine classes and tutoring on tastings for trade and consumers.
Michele has won a top scholarship in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma, and when in Europe Michele worked for well-known companies such as Moet & Chandon and Penfolds.
Simon Toohey
Simon Toohey is a talented foodie and YouTube personality, who proved his cooking prowess to the nation on Masterchef, and more recently as the host of Freshly Picked on Channel 10 and SBS. Simon is driven by the desire to completely transform the process of food production. Sustainability is at the heart of everything Simon serves up.
Simon was widely credited with making veggies cool when he appeared on Masterchef in 2019 and again in 2020. Between seasons, he launched a pop-up vegan smokehouse in Melbourne and also co-founded the Sustainable Earth Network (SEN).