Name: Kylie Kwong
Heritage: Chinese
Position: Chef, author, television presenter & restaurateur
Company: Lucky Kwong
Endorsed Recipes KK’S Sung Choi Bao of Pork with Native Greens
“
"I am very proud to be part of what is possibly the largest Chinese family tree in Australia's immigration history. I am the first daughter of the fifth son, of the first son, of the third wife of Kwong Sue Due - which makes me 29th generation Kwong and third generation Australian."

Tell us about your cultural heritage
My great-grandfather Kwong Sue Duk first came to Australia in 1875, during the Gold Rush, in search of new opportunities. He held four gold-mining leases and was also a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He travelled between China and Australia many times, acquiring 4 wives and producing 24 children – including my dad’s dad!
Kwong Sue Duk continued with his herbal medicine practice from Townsville, in northern Queensland, until he died at the age of 76 on the 17th February 1929.
His descendants now number over 1000, spanning 5 generations and 11 countries.
I am very proud to be a part of what is possibly the largest Chinese family tree in Australia’s immigration history. I am the first daughter of the fifth son, of the first son, of the third wife of Kwong Sue Duk – which makes me 29th-generation Kwong and third-generation Australian.
When did you first start cooking?
Your restaurant Lucky Kwong has a big emphasis on sustainability, why is this so important to you?
I am a firm believer that sustainably grown and harvested produce is not only better for people and planet, but also, literally tastes better. Lucky Kwong loves sharing the stories of all of our committed food and drink producers. As my Mum has always said, ‘We cooks can only be as good as the produce we are able to put on the plate.’
Personal sustainability is essential. For me, Lucky Kwong with its user-friendly Monday – Friday lunchtime trading hours, as opposed to my former restaurant life in which I worked nights and weekends, allows me a holistic and far more sustainable work-life balance. I am able to be more innovative and make sound business decisions because I now have more energy and much more space in my mind.
What are some ideas for home cooks who would like to practice more sustainable cooking?
I also believe in quality not quantity, so source several very good quality sustainably grown ingredients rather than trying to offer multiple conventionally produced ingredients in one meal.
For example: ‘Steamed locally caught fish fillet with ginger and shallots, steamed jasmine rice, stir-fried bok choy’ or ‘Roasted locally reared chicken with roasted local carrots and potatoes + green salad leaves’ or ‘Stir-fried locally grown Asian greens with local zucchini, firm tofu and ginger’. With this philosophy every meal you make and enjoy will be absolutely delicious and memorable, rather than just fill for your stomach. Farmers Market are key to this philosophy, I have a rule which is to shop first buying only what is in-season, then create the menu from this. When we buy seasonally the produce not only tastes and looks great because it is ‘ripe’, but the price is highly accessible because there is an abundance of the specific ingredient.
What is your favourite East meets West meal or taste pairing?
Are there any other culture foods you haven't tried to recreate but would like to?
Is there a particular person or place that has inspired your culinary journey?
What is something people may not know about Chinese food/cooking?
Why is it important to celebrate cultural diversity the workplace?
Like so many, one cannot emphasise enough the extraordinary healing power of food shared across the table – existing emotional, mental and cultural barriers and racial discrimination instantly dissipate as we learn about our colleagues’ heritage, cultural customs and rituals, spiritual views and practices, traditions and intergenerational stories. Inevitably such wonderful stories always end up around the family kitchen table with our mothers, grand-mothers and great-grandmothers, a universal point of connection. In sharing and enjoying specific food dishes together we gain a deeper understanding of who people truly are, where they have come from and why they are who they are. Cultural diversity promotes respect, equality, tolerance and inclusion for all.
“
"I am very proud to be part of what is possibly the largest Chinese family tree in Australia's immigration history. I am the first daughter of the fifth son, of the first son, of the third wife of Kwong Sue Due - which makes me 29th generation Kwong and third generation Australian."