Kylie Kwong

For Kylie Kwong cooking is a call to act. The constant question that drives her practice as a cook, as a collaborator and creative is how her practice can drive positive social change. This energy is driven by a philosophy that the best way to care of self is to be connected to community. Kylie believes, that when we take care of self, we are better equipped to take care of others. Through her multiple connections and collaborations, she creates space, time and experiences that allow us to imagine that there is a better, more sustainable more interconnected way.

Kylie Kwong has become synonymous with modern Chinese cooking in Australia. As a third- generation Australian, she has drawn on her southern Chinese heritage to reinterpret Cantonese cuisine, combining uniquely Australian ingredients with traditional Chinese cooking methods and flavours. Kylie’s food highlights partnerships with the local community and collaborations with long- term suppliers and producers.

She recently closed her eatery in Sydney, Lucky Kwong. After 30 years of working in kitchens and running restaurants she is now taking a well-deserved break and is very optimistic about what the future may hold.

Kylie’s advocacy of sharing and sustainability extends to her involvement with a number of community organisations including The Wayside Chapel, Two Good, OzHarvest and Addi Road. On a global scale, Kylie is a Parabere Forum’s Australian correspondent, an independent and not-for-profit platform featuring women’s views and voices on major food issues. At the 2019 Parabere Forum in Oslo Kylie delivered a keynote address on the theme of ‘Changing the Game’.

In 2023 Kylie was honoured to be one of ‘Sydney World Pride’s 45 Rainbow Champions’ and also this year received an Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the hospitality industry and the community.

Kylie continuously thinks critically about what it means to be a cook and how she can best serve the community around her.