Legend Award: Tansy Good

Chef and restaurateur Tansy Good closed her hatted Kyneton restaurant in October 2025, calling time on a career that started in the 1970s – before many of today’s leading chefs were even born – and that left an indelible mark on Australian food.

A self-taught cook, she trained defining chefs including Karen Martini and Andrew McConnell, and was awarded 30 Good Food Guide hats across three Tansy’s: the first in Carlton North between 1983 and 1992, the second in the city between 1992 and 1994, and the third in Kyneton between 2019 and now.

She championed produce in an era when people didn’t give much thought to where ingredients came from, and developed an uncompromising ability to meld classic French techniques with startling creativity in a way that left chefs, diners and critics in awe.

From her signature souffle to her remarkable way with salad leaves, there has not been another Victorian chef like Tansy Good.