Kylie Javier Ashton was born and raised in Sydney. Coming from a Filipino family, food has always been an important part of her life, so she found her calling when she discovered hospitality. She has worked at some of Australia’s best restaurants including Tetsuya’s, Bentley Restaurant and Bar, and was most recently the general manager at Momofuku Seiobo.
Telling stories through food experiences is Kylie’s specialty and she has extended this to create her own brand of hand-dyed napkins and homewares under the label KJ.LA.
Kylie's passion for all things food and beverage has granted her the opportunity to judge several competitions such as Appetite for Excellence, Drink Easy Awards and Diageo World Class Australia.
She has been recognised for her contribution to the industry and was named Restaurant Manager of the Year 2017 by Women in Foodservice and awarded the Citi Service Excellence Award 2018 by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide.
