Couple chuffed with award for Salt Dish

Sometimes Geraldton chef Csaba Sellei will pull over on a drive to Perth purely to jot down ideas for meals he wants to cook.

Later, they end up on the menu at Salt Dish.

Mr Sellei and wife Natasha suspect the dishes must be a hit with customers, because the Marine Terrace establishment was recently voted the Mid West’s best cafe.

For Mrs Sellei, it came as a shock.

“We were surprised to win because it’s not something we put ourselves forward to get,” she said.

“But to win the award was great, it was a true team effort.”

Mr and Mrs Sellei bought Salt Dish in 2014, following Mr Sellei’s work for top restaurants in Perth.

Classically trained in Germany, the Hungary-born chef became interested in food after a memorable taste of his mum’s cooking.

He became a qualified chef and travelled the world to absorb international styles and flavours, before settling with his wife in Australia.

Mrs Sellei said the couple kept busy with the restaurant and rarely had time for much else.

“Every year we cater the Charity Begins at Home Ball and we try and support local groups, but when it comes to playing sport or having a social life, there’s very little time for that,” she said.

“We have two young boys aged six and eight, plus our team at Salt Dish — they’re our family.”

Salt Dish won the Australian Good Food Guide’s 2019 readers’ choice award for best cafe in the Mid West out of 16 contenders.

Upstairs Restaurant in Kalbarri took out the International category out of nine contenders.

Toppo’s On the Terrace, the Abrolhos Islands, Yuin Station and Geraldton Beach Hotel all earned an award in the regional category out of 54, 32, 81 and eight contenders respectively.