State: NSW
Age: 37
Executive Chef

Father of four, Coop Woodstone is married to Beth, his rock, and together they have three children, Viena (6), Neve (3) and Sebastian (1). Viena has a rare brain tumour and has had to undergo two surgeries in the past year, which has been emotionally and physically taxing on the whole family. For Coop, it’s the greatest hurdle he has had to overcome and it was Viena who inspired him to audition for the show. Coop has a daughter from his first marriage, Jada (9), who lives in Canada with her mother. 

With no formal qualifications, Coop started as a kitchen hand at 18 years of age, as he needed to “pay the rent”, and was quickly promoted to line chef. He got his first head chef position, in the UK, at age 24 and has since worked as a head chef, executive chef and restaurant consultant. He was head chef at fine dining establishment 360 Bar and Dining, Bistrot Marlo and The Storier. He turned down an offer to be head chef at Sydney’s Bather’s Pavilion in order to start his own business.