Community & Business
18 August, 2026
Famous ‘foodie’ discovers Shish
TUESDAY night at Mareeba’s Shish restaurant on Byrnes Street was like any other until a particular diner arrived.
He was given his table of choice, provided with the expansive menu of authentic Uzbeki cuisine, and suddenly a staff member recognised the Australian multi-media food expert Matt Preston.
Restaurant owner Farhod Baltabaev was delighted to share “conversation on all matters relating to our restaurant” and to see the food guru’s enjoyment of what was sampled.
Mr Preston had told him he was holidaying near Tully, had wanted to discover somewhere different to dine, and then drove to Mareeba to enjoy “something amazingly different.”
“We just couldn’t believe that someone so famous in Australia’s food industry would travel so far to dine at Shish, and we’re very glad he did,” Mr Baltabaev said.
Mr Preston was happy to pose for the camera, and support the restaurant, which has been operating in Mareeba for over 12 months.
