Donna Carrier - Proprietor and Restaurant Manager
Donna is the proprietor of Bent on Food Cafe and Regional Produce Store and Bent on Life Homewares store. Donna started Bent on Food in December 2004 and the business has grown from strength to strength. Donna grew up in the region on acres where she enjoyed gardening and looking after the animals. She has always enjoyed food and cooking and spent 18 years in the wine industry where she completed her Associate Diploma in Wine Marketing at Roseworthy Agricultural College. She is proud to have worked for wonderful family owned companies such as Brown Brothers Wines, Yalumba Wines, and Cassegrain Wines, she also worked with many small producers in the wine industry and her passion for food and wine is evident.
In 2017 Donna was awarded Myall Lakes Woman of the Year for her contribution to the Wingham community and tourism in the region. Donna spent 5 years as a Board member at Destination North Coast NSW, was a committee member Barrington Coast Tourism and in 2019 mentored a group of business owners on Norfolk Island. She was president of her local business chamber four times.
In 2021 Donna was awarded the Mid North Coast NSW Business Chamber award for Business Leader.
In 2022 she was the recipient of the Local Hero Award for Barrington Coast Tourism and in November 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Dean Gorddard award for Outstanding Contribution to NSW Tourism.
Donna is now a judge for Tourism and NSW Business Chamber awards.
Maciej Karski - Head Chef
Maciej Karski is the culinary maestro of our kitchen! Joining us in 2023, he has already spiced up our kitchen. A former globetrotter, he’s now rooted in our beautiful region, though he’s dubbed “Hobo” by friends, likely because his origins are as mysterious as the perfect recipe for a soufflé! When he’s not whipping up delicious dishes, you can catch him dominating board games or table tennis. If you get him started on science or psychology, good luck shutting him up— he’s the perfect blend of geek and nerd! Maciej credits his mum for sparking his love for cooking, and he’s journeyed up and down the east coast of Australia, honing his craft. He’s excited about the local produce here and loves concocting dishes with all that’s on offer in our beautiful region. His go-to comfort foods are beef goulash and lentil soup, and he enjoys washing them down with Polish potato juice (vodka) or a B-52.
Brandon Everett - Front of House Supervisor and legend barista
