When did you first realise you could make a living as a chef? 'I worked in advertising for three years after college. While, at 26, I was thinking of a new profession, I got a job with a friend who was a caterer. I started to realise how much my mother [who is second-generation Chinese-Australian] had taught me about being Chinese, a people who always have food and family at the centre of their life. That's when I said to myself, 'This is it; this is what I want to do.''
How have you changed the Australian palate? 'For the past 15 to 20 years, everyone just thought Chinese food was chop suey - whatever that is - and sweet-and-sour pork with lots of MSG and horrible gloopy sauces. And I'm like, 'It's very sophisticated. It's about clean flavours.' It's about freshness - in dishes such as poached white chicken, steamed whole fish, using the delicate flavours of Sichuan pepper and salt. We've really tried to help raise the profile there, with the books, the show [in Hong Kong Kylie Kwong: My China airs every Wednesday at 8pm on Discovery Travel & Living], the cooking classes and the organic food we serve. What makes my restaurant different is we only use organic and biodynamic produce. The soy sauce, the vinegar, the sesame oil is all organic.'
What's the most interesting feedback you get at Billy Kwong? 'When Chinese people come in, that's a great compliment because we know they're the most critical people, including my mum. And when we can please my mother, and all the other Chinese people, we know we've succeeded.'
What's the best advice you can give to aspiring chefs? 'Only take on cooking as a profession if you're absolutely obsessed with it. The second most important thing is to cook only with fresh seasonal produce.'
Is it easy to be in front of the camera as a TV chef? 'I'm not an actress. When I'm in front of the camera it's spontaneous. The hardest thing was learning how to look at the camera. I was shying away from it at first and the cameraman said, 'Let me tell you something. When you look into the camera lens, pretend you're looking at your best friend and you're telling her about this mussel recipe she's never heard of before.' That's a great idea, because when you watch it as a viewer, you feel like I'm being really personal with you. That's an excellent piece of advice for anyone starting out in TV.'
Where are you eating in Hong Kong on this trip? 'I discovered Yellow Door Kitchen for Sichuan food about six years ago. [The late] Johnny Apple was a New York Times editor back then, and whatever Johnny told you, you did. He said, 'I know this place in SoHo ...' Now I go there whenever I can.'