Identity

S1E7 - Kylie Kwong & Exploring Identity

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:48:11 GMT

Chef and restaurateur Kylie sits down with René to reveal how she cultivates that sense of purpose, including all the bumps along the way. From changing careers to reconciling difficult family relationships; from connecting with her Chinese heritage to the “miracle” that happened when she came out; from the decision to close her restaurant to her inspiring new work with Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, Kylie is as open and honest with René as she is with herself. And throughout this moving conversation, they connect over their love of food and the creative practice that cooking represents.

Legacy in Action

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:42:59 GMT

The Loiseau sisters carry forward the legacy of their father Bernard Loiseau, the legendary French chef who transformed a crumbling restaurant in rural Burgundy into a three-Michelin-star powerhouse—then taking his own life at the height of his success in 2003.

Blanche and Bérangère’s mother kept the flame alive after tragedy. Now, they’ve now taken the helm of a hospitality group that spans 6 restaurants, 2 hotels, and 130 employees. Their approach differs from their father’s obsession with Michelin stars—they’re building a more sustainable vision still in his timeless values: excellence, authenticity, innovation.

Bernard Loiseau’s ‘cuisine des essences’—bringing lightness and freshness through produce—changed French gastronomy forever. Now his daughters are honoring his legacy while carving out space to breathe and grow.

The Art of Staying Engaged

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 07:43:03 GMT

At the age of seven, Chido Govera was left orphaned, caring for her grandmother and little brother in rural Zimbabwe. At ten, she refused an arranged marriage—choosing instead a path that took her from foraging for survival to building something extraordinary.

The Future of Hope Foundation has now transformed over 10,000 households in Zimbabwe and beyond through mushroom farming. What started with learning to grow oyster mushrooms from corn stalks has become a movement rooted in Ubuntu philosophy—“I am because we are”—where communities solve their own problems with the right knowledge and support.

Everytime she speaks with MAD, Chido shows us the power of working “one mushroom at a time”—turning complex agricultural science into something rural communities can master themselves. Sometimes the most radical act is simply believing people are capable of more than their circumstances suggest.

What Happens When We Don't Kick The Ladder Away

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 08:09:18 GMT

Asma Khan entered the restaurant world at 45. Then she became the first British chef on Chef's Table.

At MAD7, she shared how her London restaurant, Darjeeling Express, came to life. She made the bold decision to open a restaurant staffed by grandmothers and mothers—home cooks who had never worked in professional kitchens, armed with "terrible knife skills but huge hearts." 

Chefs constantly credit their mothers and grandmothers as their biggest culinary influences. But these women are rarely part of the restaurant team. Asma built her kitchen differently, bringing softness to an industry obsessed with toughness. She’s proven that kindness is a form of strength. 

How to Build to Last

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 18:11:15 GMT

For Arianna Occhipinti, talking about wine is like talking about love.

Both require the right tools to avoid repeated failure. Both have the power to transform obstacles into meaning.

At 22, Arianna started making wine in Sicily's Cerasuolo di Vittoria region. Today her biodynamic methods—wild fermentations, no filtration, cover crops mixing 15+ plants—yield over 120,000 bottles per year. SP68 Rosso, her signature blend, combines native Frappato and Nero d'Avola grapes.

Building her story piece by piece, Arianna shows how individual vision can reshape an entire industry's approach to sustainable winemaking.

Thomas Keller & René Redzepi in Conversation

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:13:39 GMT

In this conversation between Thomas Keller and René Redzepi, who worked under him early on at French Laundry, they discuss what it means to be part of an interconnected culinary lineage. Keller traces his path back to his mother getting him that first kitchen job, which led to his focus on making people happy through food.

They cover mentorship, sleep over burnout, nurture over ego and building leaders who surpass you. Plus, Thomas Keller meets Thomas the Goat—you'll have to watch for that one.

How to Take Over Your Parent's Restaurant in Five Easy Steps

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Following his father suffering a debilitating stroke in 2019, Justin Pichetrungsi made the daunting decision to take over his family’s 43-year old restaurant, Anajak Thai, in Los Angeles, California.

From working as an art director at Disney to deciphering his family’s recipe cards, he reflects on what it means to inherit something sacred. And how, apparently, it all starts by arguing with your parents.

Get Out of Your Own Way

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Propelled into her role as the first female Zen Buddhist and Insight Meditation teacher, Subhana Barzaghi didn’t have other women role models to help lead her way. She reflects on how she grew into the Zen Roshi role and her inner journey of facing her anxieties to find her authentic voice.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Leadership, 4 November 2019. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD, and Kylie Kwong that brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on what leadership looks like in our changing world. MAD Mondays are open to the public and held throughout the year and around the globe.

Love and Resilience

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Reverend Graham Long, Pastor and CEO Emeritus of the Wayside Chapel in Sydney, is someone whose life is woven into the community fabric of Sydney. Reverend Long shares the story of his path to understanding resilience, from a personal tragedy to the enduring support he found in the vulnerable, homeless and lost people who come to the Wayside. He underlines that love is everywhere to be found and that resilience is not deposited in you but is for you if you want it.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Resilience, July 16, 2018. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD and Kylie Kwong, and brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on the role today’s restaurants play in taking care of the environment.

Cultural Resilience

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Lydia Miller is a Kuku Yalanji woman and the Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts at Australia’s national arts funding body, the Australia Council. In this talk, Lydia shares her thoughts on the importance of preserving the aboriginal culture and history that she belongs to. For many years she could not understand why she was part of a minority when her ancestors were the founders of the land. However, she quickly realized that she had the duty of preserving this heritage by developing the cultural resilience forged by the first nation's people in Australia.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Resilience, July 16 2018. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD and Kylie Kwong, and brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on the role today’s restaurants play in taking care of the environment.

Preserving Identity Through Coffee Traceability

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Arthur Karuletwa is a native of Rwanda, but lived as a refugee in Uganda and Kenya in the 1990's. Today, he sees coffee as a source of healing and empowerment, and has developed a program to trace coffee beans from the point of origin through the supply chain.

In surviving the horrific genocide of his people and murder of his family, Karuletwa was stripped of his identity. As a immigrant in America, he has dedicated his life to preserving the identity of others. Waging a war on poverty through agriculture and traceability, Karuletwa points to our food and drink as a reflection of our identity and culture, something we must understand to better act as agents of global development.

On Food, Authenticity, and Culture

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Romy Gill is the self-taught chef and owner of Romy’s Kitchen, a Punjabi/Bengali Indian restaurant in Bristol where she combines ingredients and techniques from her Indian heritage with those of her home country, the United Kingdom. Gill has been awarded with the title Member of the Most Excellent Order by the British Queen for her outstanding service to British and Indian food.

Side by side on stage with the MAD Dispatches Editor, Chris Ying, Romy introduces us to her story. Romy and Chris break down what authenticity means, and discuss what it means to take a cultural artifact out of its original locality, or in other words: the significance of exploring Indian cuisine in a British context.

Finding Peace in the Kitchen and the Mind

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Miller is the co-founder of the London and New York Meditation Center. Miller regularly teaches all across the globe, introducing the ancient technique of Vedic Meditation in a way that is accessible and relevant to people living in today's world.

Interweaving practical techniques with vocal advice, Miller compels us to see how meditation can make us more available, responsive and active in our lives. By tuning in to, and ridding ourselves of stress we can create better kitchen environments, he argues.

Rewriting History

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Jeannette Ehlers is a Danish-Trinidadian multi disciplinary visual artist who aims to disrupt the dominating narratives and replace them with ones that acknowledge the aspects of history that have thus far been ignored. Ehlers engages themes of visibility, identity, and collective memory, such as her work I am Queen Mary, which represents one of four queens who led the 1878 labor revolt in Saint Croix, a former Danish colony.

Presenting her works at the sixth MAD Symposium, Ehlers discusses how it is possible to reframe history so that it is inclusive to all and provides examples how to do so through her works. Ehlers engages us, urging us to see how art, and other mediums like food, can provoke, lead and guide, people to better self-understanding.

Indigenous Foodways

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Aboriginal Elder, Uncle Charles Madden, officially welcomes guests of MAD, Carriageworks and Kylie Kwong's Sydney MAD Monday to Gadigal Country. MAD Program Manager Bella Napier, chef at restaurant Billy Kwong Kylie Kwong, and Director of Carriageworks Lisa Havilah introduce the evening's talks. Moderator Caroline Baum provided background to the conversation.

These introductions opened the Sydney MAD Monday event on Indigenous Foodways, April 16 2018. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD and Kylie Kwong, and brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on the role today’s restaurants play in taking care of the environment.

Migration, Family, and Farming

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Palisa Anderson, director of Sydney restaurant Chat Thai and first generation farmer of Boon Luck Farm, shared stories from her childhood, as well as her farming practices and approach to utilizing sustainable Indigenous ingredients in her cooking.

This talk is part of the Sydney MAD Monday event on Indigenous Foodways, April 16 2018. Sydney MAD Mondays is a collaboration between Carriageworks, MAD and Kylie Kwong, and brings together voices from across the Australian food community for talks on the role today’s restaurants play in taking care of the environment.

Indigenous Australian Bushfoods

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Gayle Quarmby of Outback Pride Project, the largest bushfood-growing organisation in Australia, shares how her company provides opportunities for remote Aboriginal communities to access an industry where their traditional knowledge is valued.

The Stories that Define Australia

Wed, 06 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A member of the Birri-Gubba People and the Yugambeh language group, novelist and scholar Nicole Watson of the University of Sydney Law School reflects on the national narratives of Australia and engages Australians in telling new stories about Country and people.

Working With the Family

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Head chef Téllez and Magaña, chef de cuisine, from restaurant Laja in Ensenada, Mexico. Situated in the beautiful Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, Laja is a remarkable destination restaurant which pays homage to the surrounding countryside. Laja's home is a stone barn-like building, which was constructed from scratch by Télles and a team of craftsmen (many of whom went on to work in the restaurant itself). It is surrounded by its own orchard, fields, and vineyard, whose harvests are supplemented by local organic farmers and fishermen.

Insects & Plants Together for Life

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Alex Atala began his career at 19 in Belgium, at the École Hôtelière de Namur. He went on to work at Jean-Pierre Bruneau’s 3-star Michelin restaurant there before moving to France and the Hotel de la Cote d'Or with Bernard Loiseau. Stints in Montpellier and Milan followed before returning to São Paulo in 1994.

His work at several restaurants around the city immediately attracted the attention of media and customers. By the end of 1999, he opened D.O.M.restaurant, where he was one of the first to use indigenous and Amazonian produce in a fine-dining setting.

Alex went on to publish Por uma Gastronomia Brasileira, a two-volume cookbook of recipes and documentary photographs featuring native Brazilian ingredients.

In April 2011, D.O.M. was rated the 7th best restaurant in the world in the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best list whilst also winning the title of ‘Aqua Panna Best Restaurant In South America.’ In 2009, Alex opened his second restaurant, Dalva e Dito, to critical acclaim.