Sede Cafe’s Bishal Khanal travelled the country cooking in resorts before finding a home in Ararat

Bishal Khanal once cooked a kangaroo steak in the Northern Territory, and the customer who ordered it soon tried to poach him.

🗣️:“I sent it out and half an hour later, my manager said, ‘Bishal, a customer wants to talk to you’. So I went out, and he was an executive chef at a major resort,” Khanal said. 

“He pulled out a $100 note and said, ‘Do you want a job?’, and he bought a drink for all my kitchen staff. All in front of my manager.” 

Khanal turned the man down, but said it was an experience he will long remember. 

The 36-year-old has travelled Australia studying and cooking in resorts across Queensland, South Australia, the NT and Victoria. His final destination? The small West Vic town of Ararat, running Sede Cafe, which has just celebrated its seventh anniversary. 

The story so far: Khanal has lived in Australia for almost two decades, but he and his wife, Mel, were born in Nepal. 

It’s something they incorporate into their menu, hosting annual Nepalese nights in their cafe, and blending their own spice mixes. 

• “We have a proper Nepalese feast, people can sit down and talk about our culture, talk about our food,” Khanal said. 

There are usually Nepalese momos, curries or soups on the specials board. He described it as “very earthy, warm food”. 

Sede Cafe also serves a standard breakfast and lunch menu. Shakshuka and sausage, churros, burgers and pancakes are featured alongside freshly-baked goods. 

The community: Khanal said Ararat was “a small, very community-oriented place. It’s easy for the kids, it’s a very laidback lifestyle. Within reach of everything, less rush, way less traffic lights”. 

He said more Thai, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern food is now available in local stores. 

• “For a very small town to have that variety is amazing. All the chefs at the RSL are from overseas, so they always have something new on the menu. It’s so blended here. It’s vibrant.”