South Australia, 38, Hairdresser

This mum of three from the Barossa is determined to live life with no regrets and that includes pursuing her long-held food dream.

Based in Angaston, seventh generation Barossan Tracy Collins is married to winemaker Jaysen and is mum to daughter Finella, 11, and sons Harper, 8, and Charlie, 6. Parents Elaine and Trevor, along with sister Kelly, 34, and her two young children, also live locally.

A 20-year industry veteran, entrepreneurial Tracy is an award-winning hair stylist, being named among the Top 10 colourists in Australia by Harper's Bazaar in 2012. Many of her clients are in the food industry, including Maggie Beer, for whom she does hair and make up and whose daughters she grew up with and to whom she remains close.

Cooking since she was eight years old, Tracy is self-taught. With respect, she says that her mum was a terrible cook: her idea of a meat timer was the smoke alarm. She loved cooking with her grandparents and recalls making chicken and pearl barley soup, complete with a chicken fresh from their farm.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, 2008 served up more than its fair share. Tracy faced a lengthy battle with an undiagnosed virus and pleuritis, which affected her heart and saw her bedridden for four months. There was a very real possibility she might not survive and it took a year to recover fully.

The global financial crisis fell at the same time and she and Jaysen were in danger of losing their business and home. Jaysen also had to care for the children on his own.

Facing a further health scare in 2012 when bulged discs and sciatica required surgery, Tracy became even more determined to succeed. Her positive attitude is to show her kids that “you can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it and live life to the full with no regrets".

“I no longer wish to live on the periphery of the food industry," she says. "I am now willing to ‘just do it’ and pursue my dreams.”

Tracy dreams of opening a communal eating house in the Barossa that blurs the lines between restaurant and café, focusing on honest food, shared plates and bringing people together.

But she won’t be stopping there. Tracy envisages multiple food businesses, plus a range of products and cookbooks. She also wants to give back through clean water initiatives.

She says she looks up to the likes of David Thompson, Matt Wilkinson, Andrew McConnell, Stephanie Alexander and, of course, Maggie Beer as her food heroes.