At The Table is a conversation series about hospitality. Here, we invite friends to share their thoughts on food, drink, tradition, and the things that bring us together. For this edition, we’re joined by chef, restaurateur, and community builder Kylie Kwong.
Kylie is one of Australia’s most celebrated culinary figures, renowned for her modern Cantonese cooking and her deep commitment to sustainability, social impact, and cultural exchange. Through her former restaurants Billy Kwong and Lucky Kwong and now in her work as a Powerhouse Parramatta Associate, she continues to shape the way food is experienced in this country – not just on the plate, but as a force for connection, care, and respect. Guided by her family heritage and her belief in the power of food to create belonging, she has become a leading voice in re-imagining hospitality as a practice rooted in generosity and responsibility.
In this edition, Kylie reflects on her earliest food memories in her mother’s kitchen, the lessons in hospitality handed down through generations, and the meals that reshaped her understanding of cooking. She speaks about the vibrant influence of Western Sydney’s food cultures on her work today, and the everyday staples and rituals that continue to nourish her life: proof that food, at its best, is always about people, place, and story.
Kylie Kwong
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Photo by Penny Lane
Today’s menu is shaped by what is in season and what is meaningful to me. Recently my dear friend and ex-Lucky Kwong regular, Karima Hazim of Sunday Kitchen, took me on a mini food tour in Fairfield. As we wandered, she shared stories about her incredible mother, Sivine Tabbouch, a former social worker and exceptional home cook, who devoted over twenty years to supporting Fairfield’s Iraqi community, much of it through sharing meals and helping foster the strong, vibrant food culture that Fairfield is known for today.
One local favourite we visited was Al Amara Bakery, where the freshly ground, liquid velvet tahini has quickly become a staple in my kitchen, especially drizzled over my morning yoghurt with their luscious date syrup – such depth and real connection in every mouthful.
My cooking is always intuitive, guided by what’s at hand and inspired by the diversity of food traditions that surround me. I’m skipping lunch to leave room for my dinner, Kibbeh Nayeh, another new favourite also taught to me by Karima. She showed me where to source the freshest ground lamb mince—Darwich Butchers, Greenacre—accompanying fresh baby red radish, shallots, mint, and chillies from Smart St Fruit and Vegetables, also in Fairfield, and her very own ambrosial mix of kammouneh and sabaa bharat. These meals are deeply nourishing, keeping me connected to people, stories, and places I treasure.
Food makes people happy. Food brings people together. These early food memories were formed in my mother’s kitchen, the heart of our home.
I am a third-generation Australian, 29th-generation Kwong, descended from my great-grandfather Kwong Sue Duk, who brought our family name to Australia in the late 1850s. He had four wives and together they produced twenty-four children, which is where I come from; I am the first daughter of the fifth son of the first son of the third wife of Kwong Sue Duk. My mother’s ancestral home is also in Toishan Province, Guangzhou, literally twenty minutes from my great-grandfather’s village, so those connections to place and food run deep.
Mum learned the art of homestyle Cantonese cooking from her father (my Goong Goong), who tended Chinese vegetables in their family backyard in Penshurst, teaching lessons of patience and care with every harvest. Mum took me to her favourite grocery stores and providores each week, instilling the importance of seeking the freshest produce and always showing respect for the people behind our ingredients.
Growing up, my brothers and I were the only Asian kids at North Epping Primary School, yet we were always welcomed, never singled out, because Mum would generously share her delicious Cantonese home cooking with our friends and neighbours. These memories remain at the centre of how I cook and connect, especially now as I have the immense privilege of working closely with multicultural families in Western Sydney.
Hospitality is in my DNA, starting right at home with my mum. Mum’s kitchen was where everyone was welcome, and family dinners were lively, inclusive, and generous. My gregarious parents set the tone for warmth and belonging, never letting formality get in the way of genuine connection. There was always plenty of rice in the pot for unexpected guests. But it’s a legacy that goes back further – to my great-grandfather Kwong Sue Duk, who paved the way for our family’s journey to Australia in the 1850s, modelling resilience, community, and care. These generational threads give me real empathy for other families starting new chapters, especially the incredible multicultural communities in Western Sydney I work with today. True hospitality, to me, is always about fostering belonging, embracing difference, and building genuine respect.
Kylie Kwong's ancestral family village, Toishan Province, Guangzhou
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Photo by Simon Griffiths
A real turning point for me was experiencing internationally acclaimed Danish chef René Redzepi’s food and philosophy at his Copenhagen-based restaurant, noma. Redzepi insists that using native, local ingredients is a way to express the full life of a place – its seasons, stories, memories, traditions, aromas, tastes, and spirit. This approach made me rethink everything: food isn’t just technique or sustenance, it’s a true expression of land, people, history, and how we care for the environment. Redzepi inspired me to bring Australian native ingredients —warrigal greens, old man saltbush, Davidson’s plum, karkalla—into my own Cantonese cooking, creating an authentic “taste of place.” Using these is my way of honouring the Traditional Custodians, respecting their deep connection to Country, and supporting a more inclusive food culture. It’s an ethos that shapes all my work at Powerhouse Parramatta, where food becomes a bridge for positive change, cultural dialogue, and deeper community connection.
There are staples I reach for every day: organic tamari, extra virgin olive oil, Australian salt flakes. What makes my kitchen uniquely mine, though, are discoveries from Western Sydney’s vibrant food landscape. The homemade pickles from Fairfield’s King of Pickles and Spices aren’t just about flavour and texture – they bring stories, relationships, and community into my kitchen, reminding me why food is such a powerful connector.
Start by building a genuine relationship with your ingredients and with the people who produce them. Shop local when you can. Farmers markets are the best, so you can see, trust and taste your senses, and have a direct conversation with the food producer.
Hospitality isn’t about being perfect, it’s about making others feel genuinely at home. Cook and serve what you truly love to eat - your passion will shine through which guests will taste and feel. Keep the menu simple so you can relax, connect, and enjoy the occasion. The best gatherings leave everyone feeling included, cared for, and nourished, heart and soul.
Kylie Kwong's Stir-Fried Australian Native Greens
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Photo by Penny Lane
Inspired by the classic Cantonese side dish of stir-fried choy, I’ve created a ‘traditional Australian-Cantonese’ version that integrates fresh, locally sourced native greens. It is not only delicious and unique in flavour and texture but also conveys the rich heritage and culinary traditions of the First Australians.
Serves 2-4 as part of a shared meal
Ingredients
• 60 ml vegetable oil (¼ cup)
• 3 x small slices ginger
• 50 gm old man saltbush leaves*
• 50 gm warrigal green leaves*
• 2 tbsp organic tamari
• 50 gm karkalla leaves and trimmed stem*
• 50 gm munyeroo* (purslane) leaves and trimmed stem
• ½ tsp sesame oil
Method
Heat oil in a wok over high heat until shimmering, then add ginger and stir-fry until fragrant (5 seconds). Add saltbush and warrigal greens and stir-fry until just wilting (2 minutes). Add tamari and reduce slightly (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add a splash of water and stir-fry for another 30 seconds to reduce. Add karkalla, munyeroo and sesame oil, and stir-fry to combine (30 seconds), then serve immediately.
*These native green leaf plants can be sourced in select Harris Farm Markets; organic and specialty food stores, including Wholefoods and Indigiearth and, native nurseries including Indigigrow; or can be substituted with Asian choy varieties.