
NEWS
Position Vacant: Waitstaff
Billy Kwong is looking for experienced professional waitstaff to join the team. Passion and an openness and willingness to learn, along with substantial food and wine knowledge is essential.
Please call Kin Chen on 0412 612 201 and email resume to enquiries@billykwong.org
Billy Kwong wins inaugural Good Food Guide Sustainability Award 2009
About five years ago, I made a commitment to reduce my restaurant’s
environmental impact. We use locally grown, organic and biodynamic
produce, and in 2007 Billy Kwong became the first carbon-neutral
restaurant in New South Wales. I couldn’t be more thrilled to receive
this award from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for something
that is so close to my heart – and so vital for the wellbeing of us
all, now and in the future.
Bottled water: just say no!
At Billy Kwong, we’re determined to do our bit to stem the tide of resources that go into producing bottled water by offering only filtered Sydney tap water to diners. The manufacture and transport of bottles, both plastic and glass, adds to greenhouse emissions, and the used bottles are a significant contributor to oceanic pollution. Check out the Bottled Water Alliance to see what you can do.
Slow Food
Billy Kwong is now a member of Slow Food, the international not-for-profit organisation established to counteract fast food and fast life. Our philosophy of thinking globally and acting locally ties in perfectly with Slow Food’s aims of fostering local food traditions and encouraging interest in the food we eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world – people, communities, animals, plants and the environment.
My China
When My China was named Best Chinese Cuisine Book in the World at the 2008 Gourmand Cookbook Awards, I was especially thrilled by the judges’ comments: ‘This is her fourth book, and her best, taking television through the China she knows, loves and respects . . . It is a pleasure to read, the promise of the feast for all senses is delivered through exquisite book production, talented writing, true emotion, and beautiful photography.’ I was also delighted to see My China listed as one of the summer’s most interesting new cookbooks by the New York Times. The accompanying TV series is currently screening on the Lifestyle Channel.
Green dining at Billy KwongAt Billy Kwong, we are constantly striving to reduce our carbon footprint, and being Carbon Neutral is simply a natural progression of this. Through carbon-offsetting company Climate Friendly, we purchase renewable energy credits from a wind farm in the Chinese province of Hebei, effectively making our power consumption 100 per cent renewable. You can help too! Next time you eat at Billy Kwong, please consider donating $1 to offset the carbon emissions embedded in your meal. Each month, we will use the total amount to buy more wind farm credits from Climate Friendly. Together, we can continue our commitment to fighting climate change.
Billy Kwong gift vouchers
Don’t forget you can now buy Billy Kwong gift vouchers through the website, so if someone you know deserves a treat, click here to order.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2010Happiness & its Causes
I’m delighted to be participating in the 5th annual Happiness & Its
Causes conference, which will be held on 5–6 May 2010 at Sydney
Convention & Exhibition Centre. Originally conceived as a forum for
fostering debate and discussion about the many different approaches to
happiness, the Happiness & Its Causes conferences have attracted
thousands of delegates internationally in Australia, the UK and
the USA.
My session will focus on the happiness that comes from cooking and
sharing healthy and delicious food cooked from the heart, as well as
addressing the importance of good food choices for happier people and a
healthier planet. The session will be followed by a discussion on
happiness, consumerism and branding, with panelists including Naomi
Wolf, bestselling author of 'The Beauty Myth', Todd Sampson,
co-creator of the Earth Hour Initiative and a regular on ABC TV’s 'Gruen
Transfer', and Khandro Thrinlay Chodon, female lay Buddhist practitioner, Tibetan spiritual master and teacher.
Please click here for details and booking information.
PAST EVENTS
Dalai Lama in Australia
In December 2009, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in Australia to give a series of teachings, and I was deeply honoured to compere his public talk at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Addressing the theme 'Our Future, Who is Responsible?', His Holiness spoke of our individual responsibility for our own actions, the world which we live and for all other living beings we share it with: 'Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient...we must become actively engaged.' As someone whose commitment to ethical eating and sustainable living stems from the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, I drew enormous strength and inspiration from the Dalai Lama's profoundly moving talk and his compassionate presence. For more information, visit www.dalailamainaustralia.org
Growing Up Asian in Australia, edited by Alice Pung
Drawing on my Australian-Chinese heritage, I have contributed to this collection of stories and reminiscences, edited by writer and lawyer Alice Pung. Alice’s bestselling first book, Unpolished Gem, was a warm and witty account of the Asian immigrant experience of straddling two cultures, and she continues her exploration of this theme in her new book, with contributors from all walks of life, including Dr Cindy Pan, Hoa Pham, Jenny Kee, Sunil Badami, and Anh and Ko Do. To find out more about Growing Up Asian in Australia, click here
Want the latest?
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