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Kylie Kwong joins South Eveleigh eateries to cook Friday meals for 'tired and exhausted' RPA hospital staff

24 February 2022

Story Michael Luu

South Eveleigh's local eateries are delivering "a big thank you" to the nurses and doctors in their local area by doing what they do best. 

For 10 weeks, four restaurateurs and a beverage maker are preparing 50 meals and bespoke non-alcoholic drinks for frontline medical workers at the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital every Friday. 

Celebrity chef Kylie Kwong has been making a "special RPA fried rice" and Hokkien noodle salad, using her mother's recipe and herbs that she grows locally.

"We read about it, hear and see the stories every day, and I think first and foremost, to acknowledge their hard work is very important," Ms Kwong told Evenings host Sarah Macdonald on ABC Radio Sydney. 

"For two years, we've observed the daily mounting pressures that our frontline medical workers remain under with very little, if any, opportunity for a rest in between.

"We want to give them a nourishing boost to their spirits and tummies before starting yet another long, complex and often heartbreaking shift".

Food a 'sign of love'

Pepper Seeds' owner Tom Sangpoowong says he is "proud" to be a part of the project by South Eveleigh and Addi Road — Addison Road Community Organisation.

"It is only a small gesture for our hardworking frontline workers, but if it can put a smile on their faces, then it will be all worth it," Mr Sangpoowong said.

"The meals are a gentle reminder that the community has not forgotten the dedication and sacrifices of health staff."

Mr Sangpoowong said the food was a sign of love and the treats were a statement of appreciation for the often tired staff.

The menu features house specials from a variety of cuisines -- Vietnamese (Eat Fuh), Egyptian (Bekya), Thai (Pepper Seeds) and Cantonese (Lucky Kwong). 

"From Koshari and Egyptian falafels to yellow curry with tofu and vegetables and vegetarian vermicelli, these are restaurant-style meals made with lots of love," Mr Sangpoowong said.

'Meaningful and moving' to give back to staff

Kylie Kwong, the author of Heart and Soul, and Recipes and Stories, said the project served a greater purpose for her.

"I've been professionally cooking for 30 years, and at this stage in my career, it is really about what I call 'true nourishment'," Ms Kwong said.

"It's not enough for me anymore to cook beautiful food and present it to a customer on a plate.

"I want to go deeper than that and go deeper into the community and collaboration."

Ms Kwong said it was personally "meaningful and moving" for her to give back to the midwives after tragically losing her son, Lucky, to stillbirth in 2012.

"I was particularly touched when the RPA Hospital said the meals I made were going to the midwives that evening," she said.

"The midwives were truly angels during that really tragic, hard time, and I will never ever forget the hypersensitivity, compassion and genuine care that they [the midwives] gave us."

Mr Sangpoowong, who took his son to an emergency department after an accident two months ago, said he "did not think twice" about the cooking initiative.

"We still remembered how supportive and attentive they [emergency staff] were to us even though there was a 30-person long line, so we jumped at the opportunity when [they] called us," he said.

Wonderful and heartening reactions

Ms Kwong said she found it "rewarding" to see the reactions of RPA staff to the group's food deliveries.

"Our Addi Road driver, Mark, gets a really big kick out of opening his van door to all the nurses and doctors waiting for him in the car park, who say they are really excited because they can smell the food," Ms Kwong said.

She said the South Eveleigh collective had received plenty of positive feedback.

"One of the night shift nurses who found fresh falafels with her name on them said she felt the love," Ms Kwong said.

"Some of the midwives who ate our food last Friday texted us to say how much they truly appreciated and enjoyed the food."

Ms Kwong said the pictures of doctors and nurses enjoying the food and drinks from South Eveleigh were "wonderful and heartening".

"They were really exhausted and tired and stressed, but it was really nice that people were thinking about them, and that thoughtfulness had really gone a long way," she said.

"To be able to give them some nourishment from us even if only for a moment is truly meaningful."