Kylie Kwong AM

Kylie Kwong AM is one of Australia’s most influential culinary figures, celebrated for redefining modern Chinese cuisine through a deeply personal, ethical, and community-centred lens. A third- generation Australian of southern Chinese heritage, Kylie has built a career that honours traditional Chinese cooking methods and flavours while embracing Australian produce, local farmers, and sustainable food systems. Her work is just as much about people and place as it is about taste.

Kylie first rose to prominence with the opening of her iconic Sydney restaurant, Billy Kwong, founded in partnership with chef Bill Granger before Kylie became its sole owner. Over 19 years and two locations, Billy Kwong became a benchmark for ethical dining in Australia. In 2005, Kylie committed the restaurant to using exclusively organic and biodynamic ingredients, a decision grounded in her Buddhist philosophy and belief that food should nourish both body and spirit. In recognition of its environmental leadership, Billy Kwong received the inaugural Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Sustainability Award in 2009.

For Kylie cooking is a form of activism. Guided by the belief that the best way to care of self is to be connected to community, she continually asks how food can drive positive social change. This philosophy has shaped her work across restaurants, publishing, television, and life, creating spaces that invite reflection, generosity, and a more sustainable, interconnected future.

Kylie’s television career began with ‘Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul’ in 2003, which aired on the ABC and was sold internationally. It was followed by multiple series and bestselling books, including ‘Recipes and Stories’, ‘Simple Chinese Cooking’, and ‘My China: A Feast for All the Senses’, a deeply personal exploration of food, history, and identity shaped by her travels through China and Tibet. Her work consistently weaves family history into broader cultural storytelling, including the legacy of her great-grandfather Kwong Sue Duk, who journeyed from China to Australia during the gold rush.

Beyond the kitchen, Kylie has played a significant role in cultural and community life. She has appeared on MasterChef Australia as a guest chef, judge, and mentor, featured on Anh’s Brush with Fame, served as Master of Ceremonies for a public lecture by the Dalai Lama, and collaborated with Oxfam on a fair-trade tableware range handcrafted in Vietnam. In 2019, she was appointed Ambassador for Food, Culture and Community for Sydney’s South Eveleigh precinct, a role focused on community activation through shared cultural experiences.

In 2021, Kylie opened Lucky Kwong, a cafeteria-style dining venue named in honour of the son she and her wife Nell lost in 2012. The venue embodied Kylie’s lifelong commitment to ethical sourcing, nourishment, and compassion. In 2024, she announced the closure of Lucky Kwong and her retirement from restaurant ownership, marking a new chapter in a career defined by purpose and integrity.

In recognition of her contributions, Kylie was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2023 for significant service to the hospitality industry and the community. Today, she continues to inspire audiences as a speaker, storyteller, and advocate, using food as a powerful medium to explore culture, sustainability, belonging, and care.