Sooshi Mango’s Joe Salanitri says yasou to in-laws’ Mount Waverley home

This Melbourne home has a surprise celebrity connection, with buyers buzzing over the property. Find out why.

The Mount Waverley home of Sooshi Mango star Joe Salanitri’s in-laws is hitting the market after 45 years of family feasts, music and memories.

The baklava’s been baked, the ouzo’s been poured and now Sooshi Mango’s Joe Salanitri is saying yasou to his in-laws’ Mt Waverley home of 45 years.

And it’s been revealed how wild fusion parties between his own Italian family and his Greek partner’s helped inspire the wildly popular ethnic sketch comedy group Sooshi Mango.

The four-bedroom house at 7 Midway St, owned by Chris and Mary Ginis since 1980, has been regularly visited by Salanitri since the late 1990s — when he fell for their daughter Georgina.

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It has hit the market with a $1.73m-$1.79m price guide and will go under the hammer this Saturday, with both Joe and his Sooshi Mango co-star and brother Carlo expected to attend.

The pair, as well as co-star Andrew Manfre, have become household names with their over-the-top portrayals of Mediterranean mums, dads and uncles, drawing on their upbringing in Melbourne’s migrant suburbs.

The Ginis family home has long been at the centre of big Greek celebrations, and Joe has been part of it for more than two decades, having married the couple’s daughter Georgina.

Joe and Carlo Salanitri — the duo behind Sooshi Mango — have drawn millions of laughs by parodying loud, loveable Mediterranean families like their own. Picture: Dylan Coker

The formal lounge and family room offer sun-drenched spaces where music, food and stories once filled the air, Sooshi Mango-style.

“We’ve raised three daughters in this house,” Ms Ginis said.

“We’ve hosted some incredible parties, it became the go-to place for all the big family celebrations. Easter, Christmas, christenings, 21sts, engagements, you name it, we’ve had it.

“There were anywhere from 20 to 40 people for lunch, and sometimes up to 100 for dinner.”

The outdoor entertaining area hosted decades of Greek family gatherings, complete with dancing, barbecues and late-night laughter.

Joe Salanitri, one half of Sooshi Mango, is expected to attend the auction of his in-laws’ beloved Mount Waverley home. Picture: Mark Stewart

Joe’s first visit to the home in the late ’90s made a lasting impression.
“He’s always been a gorgeous young man. A real gem. He’s a great guy from a beautiful family — we were very impressed,” Ms Ginis said.

His father in law Chris recalled the moment he first met his son-in-law,

“First thought? Bloody hell, where’d you find him,” he said.

7 Midway St, Mount Waverley – for Herald Sun Real Estate

One of four spacious bedrooms inside the Salanitri in-laws’ Mount Waverley home, which has been a cornerstone of family life since 1980.

Sooshi Mango’s TikToks — with millions of views — parody chaotic European family life that echoes the real scenes once inside this house.

Joe’s parents, Vince and Antonia, also became regulars at Ginis family functions, where they would often explore the common ground of their two cultures with a guitar and some laughter.

“Vince was a natural entertainer,” Mr Ginis said.

“He’d pull out the guitar and sing with the boys, tell stories, get everyone laughing.”

The viral sketch duo’s TikToks capture the same energy this Mount Waverley home was known for: loud, proud, and full of heart.

Ray White Judd White Group director Andrew Dimashki, said the home had drawn more than 90 groups and attracted eight confirmed bidders ahead of Saturday’s auction — but it’s no longer the classic yiayia’s house you might expect.

The home was extensively renovated in the late 2000s.

Mr Dimashki said key aspects now include travertine floors, a Miele-equipped kitchen with integrated fridge and dual ovens, and two designer bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling tiling and heated towel rails.

Sooshi Mango’s viral comedy often draws from real-life chaos — including the kind of festive madness once packed into a European family’s living room. Picture: Dylan Coker

The layout also features a formal lounge room and dining spaces, a bright meals and family room with recessed speakers, a lockable cellar, and a covered outdoor area flowing to landscaped gardens and a built-in barbecue zone.

“The kitchen’s the big drawcard, but it’s the warmth and feel of the home that people really connect with,” Mr Dimashki said.

“It’s elegant, but it’s still got heart.”

Mr Ginis said he and his wife were headed to Camberwell in Melbourne’s inner east to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle, but hoped the next owners would carry on the home’s tradition of hospitality.

The Miele kitchen is a showstopper for buyers, with travertine floors, stone benchtops and room for Nonna or Yiayia-level cooking sessions.

“It’s got such a great feel to it. Sunshine streams in, and there’s just an energy about it. We’ve always kept it open to everyone, and I think that’s part of its soul,” he said.

“Whoever buys this home will inherit the ghost of happiness.”

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Originally published as Sooshi Mango’s Joe Salanitri says yasou to in-laws’ Mount Waverley home