Sooshi Mango brings the laughs – and the panini – back to Lygon St

The “Sooshi Mango boys” were running on very little sleep in the lead-up to the opening of their new Sangaweech shop at 300 Lygon St

A few days before launch, brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri and their long-time friend Andrew Manfre were up at 4am visiting the bakery producing their panini bread for a final taste test. Months had gone into refining the 12 Italian sandwiches on the menu – selecting ingredients, perfecting combinations and ensuring everything met their exacting standards.

Then came February 28.

On a 29-degree day, the trio emerged in full character to greet fans, pose for photos, sign autographs and hand out salami on the street. The first 500 customers were offered a free panini, and the queue stretched halfway around the block – down Lygon St, along Grattan St and into Drummond St. Although doors opened at 11am, the first person reportedly arrived at 6am.

For those unfamiliar, Sooshi Mango – known for their affectionate send-ups of European migrant families – perform primarily as their “mothers” (Angela, Giuseppina and Carmela) and “fathers” (Johnny, Vince and Sam). The mothers are dramatic, food-obsessed and prone to hysteria over poorly cooked pasta; the fathers grow vegetables, fix everything with gaffer tape and recount tales of hardship to their long-suffering sons.

On opening day, the “mothers” told passers-by they had opened Sangaweech out of jealousy after their husbands launched Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante a few doors down in 2023.

The new late-night shop, set in a former hair salon, is styled as an “homage to the ethnic kitchens of the ‘60s and ‘70s,” complete with red, white and green balloons and Italian classics on the turntables. It’s a theatrical extension of the trio’s world – but the food, they insist, is no joke.

We spend a lot of time trying to get everything as good as we possibly can,” Carlo told Inner City News. “People might think we’re milking it, but we put so much heart and soul into everything we do.

From a few viral videos about “ethnic dads” a decade ago, Sooshi Mango have grown into a global comedy act with more than a billion online views, sold-out arena shows and collaborations ranging from The Wiggles to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. They’ve been Moomba Monarchs, won an AACTA award, appeared in Wog Boys Forever and published a cookbook, Eat!.

In April, they’ll embark on another leg of their Home Made tour, performing more than 60 shows across North America, the UK and Europe.

Yet for all the success, their focus on Lygon St appears genuine. The trio have publicly backed calls to revive the Lygon St Festa and are working on a feature film centred on an Italian social club in Carlton, inspired by a visit to Società Isole Eolie.

They speak sincerely about wanting to see Lygon St’s Italian heritage celebrated and revitalised – not just as nostalgia, but as a living part of Melbourne’s identity.

While they may be perfectionists about bread, tiramisu and décor, their costumes remain gloriously low-budget. Joe notes that Johnny is still wearing the same $8 Kmart pyjamas bought eight years ago – a detail that feels entirely in character.

Of their growing list of projects, the trio said, “It’s good to keep busy”.

“And we’re still having fun,” Andrew added. •