Growing up, my days were filled with food and family. Reflecting on my childhood and adolescence, the images that come to mind are of family gatherings and Chinese banquets. My first book, Kylie Kwong: Recipes and Stories, introduces the wonderful home cooking that nourished me as a child and helped shape my future.

My professional cooking career began with a four-year stint as head chef of Sydney's Wockpool, a modern Asian noodle bar and restaurant owned by Neil Perry and Trish Richards, then from mid-1998 I headed the kitchens of two cafes in Sydney, bills and bills2. Inspired by the strong sense of individuality that made these places stand out from the crowd, I began to dream about having my own restaurant one day.

In 1999, I went on a life-changing trip to China. Of course, food featured prominently, but it was a visit to a traditional Shanghai-style tea house that really moved me. The room was furnished with polished rosewood tables, complete with matching stools that fitted neatly under the tables like a jigsaw puzzle. I felt like I was inside a beautiful lacquered box, exquisite in every detail. I decided then and there that I wanted to capture this moment and release its essence in my own restaurant . . .

When Billy Kwong opened its doors, in May 2000, with Bill Granger as a business partner, we breathed life into our vision of a small, energetic and vibrant eating house that served fantastically fresh Chinese food. Many years on, I can honestly say that I still love everything about the restaurant – I have been the sole owner for some time now and I enjoy the challenge of running my own business.

In late 2002, I was approached about appearing in my own TV series. Without quite knowing what I was letting myself in for, but keen to share my passions with a wider audience, I leapt at the chance. Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul traced my life with food, family and friends – from hanging out in my uncle's noodle factory as a child, to holding a steamboat party.  From the response to the TV series, and through talking to customers at Billy Kwong, I began to realise how daunted some people feel at the prospect of cooking Chinese food at home. So with my next book, Simple Chinese Cooking, along with its accompanying TV series, I sought to demystify the intricate techniques and exotic ingredients that have produced one of the world's great cuisines.

A growing awareness of the complexity and scope of Chinese regional cooking, as well as a profound urge to reconnect with my family in China, prompted me to travel back to my ancestral homeland in 2005 - the first of many trips covering the length and breadth of this vast country. My China: A Feast for all the Senses, tells the story of my journey through the food, history, culture and peoples of China and Tibet. An accompanying TV series has been screened widely.

Over the years, I have had the good fortune of being inspired and influenced by some great cooks and food writers – from my mother to Alice Waters, Stephanie Alexander, Neil Perry, Stefano and Franca Manfredi, Maggie Beer, Joanna Savill, Fay Maschler, Jamie Oliver, Elizabeth David, Richard Olney and Patience Gray. My cooking style has also evolved from living in Australia, where we have access to some of the world's finest produce, including seafood from pristine waters, a bountiful range of Asian fruits, vegetables and herbs, free-range poultry and organically raised beef.

I am convinced that food produced in this way really does taste better. Having made the switch to locally grown, organic and biodynamic produce both at Billy Kwong and at home, I found myself becoming more and more curious about where my food came from. So I decided to find out....On my travels around Australia I met growers, farmers, fishermen, artisans and food providores behind the sustainable produce I love. My latest book, It Tastes Better, tells the stories of these people - my food heroes, if you like - and shares more than 100 simple recipes inspired by their produce.

I firmly believe that fresh is best, but I also believe that our food choices should be ethical, sustainable and supportive of both the natural and human environment. By spreading this message, and through my ongoing support for the work of organisations such as Slow Food, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Oxfam, Fair Trade, Climate Friendly and the Australian Marine Conservation Society, I am determined to do all I can to make the world a better place.