Dilly Bag Pty Ltd

Aunty Dale Chapman – Founder, My Dilly Bag | Indigenous chef, entrepreneur, educator and leader

Aunty Dale Chapman is an Aboriginal Elder born in Dirranbandi in southwest Queensland – Yuwaalaraay and Kooma lands – and has lived on Kabi Kabi Country on the Sunshine Coast since 1976. Regarded as a leader in her field, Aunty Dale is the founder of My Dilly Bag and a celebrated, award-winning chef, cookbook author, entrepreneur, public speaker, television personality and lecturer.

For more than 35 years, she has created culinary experiences ranging from French cuisine to contemporary Australian food, while championing the world's oldest living food culture and the authority of First Nations peoples over their knowledge, foods and stories. Aunty Dale delivers keynote addresses and guest presentations at conferences, universities and industry events in Australia and overseas. Her speaking brings together culture, Country, food, enterprise and respectful engagement. She shares practical knowledge of native ingredients, their flavours and uses, while advocating for cultural governance, Indigenous authority, informed consent, fair benefit sharing and stronger First Nations participation across the bushfood, tourism and business sectors.

LEADERSHIP AND CURRENT WORK
Aunty Dale is a Director of the Queensland Indigenous Business Network (QIBN), contributing to the growth of Indigenous businesses, stronger regional connections and a more influential First Nations business sector across Queensland. She is also Chair of Stepping Black Indigenous Australia and founder of The First Traders Ltd, supporting community-led enterprise, training and pathways for First Nations entrepreneurs.

At the University of Queensland, Aunty Dale is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability. She is a project leader for A Deadly Solution: Towards an Indigenous-led Bushfood Industry, bringing Traditional Custodians, Indigenous experts and researchers together to strengthen community ownership, protect biocultural knowledge, support sustainable production and ensure First Nations peoples benefit from research and commercialisation.

Aunty Dale's new projects include GATHAA First Nations Markets, which creates culturally strong trading, mentoring and performance opportunities for First Nations businesses and young people, and the proposed First Nations Tourism Precinct on the Sunshine Coast. The precinct is being developed as a dedicated place for cultural learning, native food experiences, tourism, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, training and employment, with a long-term vision extending to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.

MY DILLY BAG AND INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION
Aunty Dale established The Dilly Bag Bush Tucker Products and Learning Programs, now My Dilly Bag, in 2000. The business works with Aboriginal communities, growers, harvesters and creators to develop, market and distribute native food products and cultural learning experiences. Through this work, she helps create income, strengthen cultural pride and support the continuation of knowledge across generations.

She was instrumental in helping Indigenous ingredients meet food labelling and safety requirements and gain recognition through the FSANZ database and Slow Food's Ark of Taste. Her current product development work includes collaboration with the Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) and the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), bringing Indigenous knowledge, food innovation and commercial development together. She has also mentored chefs in the respectful use of Aboriginal native foods and continues to advocate for Indigenous leadership, food sovereignty, traceability and equitable benefit sharing throughout the industry.

In 2016, Aunty Dale published Coo-ee Cuisine, a collection of family recipes incorporating traditional Aboriginal flavours into everyday cooking. Her media appearances include SBS Food Lover's Guide to Australia, ABC Gardening Australia, Channel 10 Totally Wild, Channel 7 Creek to Coast, NITV and international interviews.

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS
• Sunshine Coast NAIDOC Deadly Elder Award – 2026
• Slow Food International Snail of Approval Award – 2018
• Alumna, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation – 2018
• Alumna, MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class Program – 2016
• Federal Government Education Award for the Grow, Cook and Eat Program – 2007
• Queensland Government Reconciliation Award for the Deadly Stories Campaign – 2002
• Co-launched the Australian Bush Food Stamp Range with Les Hiddins for Australia Post – 2002