Kylie Kwong x Gunjan Aylawadi
Chefs Kylie Kwong and Gunjan Aylawadi discuss their unique paths to food-focused careers and the familial influences that sparked their culinary journeys.
Their shared passion for food is deeply rooted in their cultural backgrounds and enriched by their current communities. Both chefs also recognise the significant role of local producers in shaping their culinary perspectives.
Kylie reflects on the importance of exploring new endeavours at this stage of her career after transitioning from her renowned former restaurants Billy Kwong and Lucky Kwong. Gunjan, who is in the early stages of her career as a restaurateur, shares her experiences navigating the challenges and opportunities of migrating to Australia and the importance of building a community around her.
Speakers
Kylie Kwong is synonymous with modern Chinese cuisine in Australia. As a third-generation Australian, she draws on her southern Chinese heritage to reinterpret Cantonese dishes, blending traditional Chinese cooking techniques with distinctive Australian ingredients and flavours. Renowned for her former restaurants Billy Kwong and Lucky Kwong, as well as her cookbooks and TV series, in recent years she has turned her attention to broader arts, cultural, and community endeavours. She uses food as a medium for social impact and cultural exchange, working with artisans, farmers, and the community to create initiatives that encourage a rethinking of food through the perspectives of sustainability, Indigenous traditions, and interconnectedness.
Gunjan Aylawadi is an industrial designer and a self-taught artist. She opened Flyover Fritterie in 2019, an Indian chai bar in Sydney, to honour the hardworking street food heroes she met when growing up in India. Today, Flyover has become a platform for emerging chefs to experiment and perfect their skills with vegetarian food. Its team is committed to changing Australian-Indian hospitality by bringing the big bold flavours of India-inspired vegetarian food to each plate.
About
The Age We’re In brings together practitioners, scientists and researchers at different stages of their careers to share ideas and responses to global issues. These conversations highlight the common ground of how and why they pursue their practise and explore challenges and opportunities in their industries.