Kwong hopes to further build on her existing relationships with social enterprise and charity organisations focused on First Nations and multicultural communities.
The Lucky Kwong restaurant was named in honour of the stillborn son Kylie Kwong had with her long-term partner Nell."I've been running my own restaurants — Billy Kwong and Lucky Kwong — for 24 years and cooking professionally for more than 30 years," Kwong told"There is sadness around this decision, of course, because it's three decades of my life. But I also feel an excitement because another door is opening, as only it does when we close one door.
"For the past few decades, I've been directing the narrative because it's been my story," Kwong said. After working under chef Neil Perry at his signature restaurants Rockpool and Wokpool for six years in the 1990s, Kwong became one of Australia's first female chefs to rise to national prominence when she opened acclaimed restaurant Billy Kwong alongside the late Bill Granger in 2000.After cementing her celebrity chef status with a raft of TV cooking programs and cookbooks, Kwong continued her path as a pioneering force — introducing organic and sustainable produce to her cooking in 2005.
"This time I'm doing it differently. And I guess what I'm focusing on now is just really making this ending of this era really special, because it is."