Welcome to Lava Salt

Salt, Skill, Studio & More — We offer expert solutions to help culinary
practices and practitioners find their success.

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Artisan Salts

Select from our range of smoked artisan salts to take your dishes to next level

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Consulting

Showcasing full-scale solutions delivered through Lava Salt Consulting from concept to completion.

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Events

Browse my completed projects and events.

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Workshops

Unite your team around the table: interactive cooking workshops that blend collaboration, creativity, and connection.

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Studio

A complete kitchen studio for testing, styling, and video production

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By far, this has been my story…

Cooking has been part of my DNA since 1996, shaped by a culture where food is heart, soul, and story. Over the years, I’ve grown from early kitchen roles to Executive Chef and culinary trainer and industry assessor  at Melbourne’s top culinary schools, mentoring the next generation and collaborating with industry leaders across Australasia. Highlights include being named Victoria’s Executive Chef of the Year in 2013 and representing Australia as a chef ambassador at AIBX 2020.

My culinary philosophy is rooted in creativity, precision, and a no-compromise approach to quality. Through my platform, Lava Salt, I share decades of experience with home cooks and professionals—offering recipes, workshops, and bespoke dining experiences that push creative boundaries in Australia and beyond.

Your Perfect Dish Needs
A Perfect Salt

Consulting Services

Lava Salt Consulting partners with hospitality businesses, cafes, and restaurants, offering hands-on, personalized service that gives owner-chefs a strong voice. Our approach combines deep knowledge of industry trends with a tailored analysis of each client’s unique market and operations.

Projects & Culinary Events

A catalogue of Real projects, real impact: completed solutions crafted through Lava Salt Consulting.

LavaSalt Studio

An ideal studio setup designed specifically for your professional
culinary videos and recipe tryouts.

Workshops

Unite your team around the table: interactive cooking workshops that blend collaboration, creativity, and connection.

Seb’s Specialty Recipes

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Wilma Weaver
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Genuinely exceptional service from a talented, knowledgable and kind-hearted chef & family small business. The burst of taste that is added to dishes lifts to another level. My father absolutely loves his Father’s Day gift box of mixed LavaSalt and is enjoying applying hints from videos generously shared by LavaSalt. One taste and you will be a fan !
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Sam Niam
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Purchased the 10 pack of assorted Salts for Mother’s Day! Package came quick all wrapped up ready for the big day! The team at Lava Salt has taken a lot of love and care from product all the way to servicing the customer! My wife loves sprinkling a touch of lava salt on her avo for breakfast in the mornings! THANKS SO MUCH LAVA SALT!
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Yash Mane
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Have been using Lava Salt’s Charcoal Salt and Tamarind Chilli Salt behind the bar and kitchen at Bar Mercado and they’ve been incredible to work with. The Charcoal Salt adds a clean savoury depth and a beautiful finish to the food , while the Tamarind Chilli Salt brings the perfect balance of tangy, spicy, and salty especially great on margaritas and tequila-based drinks. You can tell a lot of care has gone into the quality and flavour of the products. They’ve definitely elevated the presentation and overall experience for our guests. Highly recommend for bartenders and chefs looking to add something unique to their creations.
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Anuj Sanghi
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We are a newly opened spanish and latin Bar and a Restaurant. We use lava salt for both our food and signature cocktails. Every guest we get love it. They specifically ask about the brand and where we source it from. Salts like, Nori chilli, smoked charcoal, Oaxacan spiced salt and a few more that keep changing. The product itself is so good and makes such a difference what we do, it just makes the effort worth it that’s been put in a dish or a drink. Thank you lava salt and chef Sebastian Simon who’s coming from such strong culinary background and bringing such an excuisite product in the market.
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Scarlett Gooding
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LavaSalt catered our wedding. The process of working with Seb was fantastic from start to finish. We felt listened to and like he was working to make everything the way we wanted it, whilst keeping within our budget. He was very thorough and communicative. The food was truely spectacular, far above and beyond our expectations. Seb was so creative with the combinations of flavours and the way that the meals were constructed and presented; the food was beautiful to look at and tasted incredible. We would highly recommend Seb and his team at LavaSalt Consulting for any catering needs.
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Anuj Sanghi
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I first met Chef Sebastian in Le Cordon Bleu, Melbourne. He was my mentor there and guided me at his best to refine my skills to become the chef I am today. I am always grateful to the knowledge and skills that he shares with students like me and help us to achieve our goals. Lately I shared my ambition of opening up a restaurant with his consulting and he helped me out with the same. He went above and beyond to deliver and get things up and running. The passion and level of professionalism he has with his work is something I cannot compare with others. He is also very well connected with a lot of industry professionals and also knows the right circle to get the jobs done, weather it be with interiors, the financial management, menu designing, developing a business plan, etc. He helped me from pre opening stages of opening my first restaurant ( Bar Mercado) in West Melbourne and is still a crucial part of the team. At Mercado it's not only me, but the whole team has a massive respect for his work and his guidance for us which helps us in smooth operations of our venue. We also use his salts in our venue which is loved by a lot of our customers and they ask for details about it. The product itself is so unique and refined that too with using Australian produce is quite commendable. I couldn't imagine this project coming to life without his support and guidance. I highly recommend Lava salt consulting and can't thank Chef Sebastian enough for what he's done for me and Bar Mercado. Thank you Lava salt for bringing my dream to life.
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mousa barbari
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Extremely professional and genuinely invested in their clients’ success. Sebastian and the team at LAVASALT Consulting deliver more than just advice — they provide clarity, structure, and real strategies that actually work in practice. What impressed me most was their depth of understanding around business operations and growth planning, and how quickly they identified what needed improvement. If you’re looking for a consulting that is honest, proactive, and focus on result, I highly recommend LAVASALT. Their support has been extremely valuable to me and I will definitely continue working with them.
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Niyati Paul
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Working with Chef Sebastian at Lava Salt Studio was an absolute delight. He truly helped me shape the direction for my upcoming café and guided me through designing a creative, well-balanced menu filled with exciting new ideas. His knowledge, warmth, and generosity made the entire experience inspiring and enjoyable. From the moment I stepped into his stunning studio nestled in the beautiful Dandenong Hills, I felt completely welcomed. The space is incredible thoughtfully designed, filled with every imaginable tool, ingredient, and even photography props, a true creative haven for anyone passionate about food. It doesn’t even feel like you’re in Melbourne; it’s peaceful, scenic, and full of charm. Chef Sebastian shared some truly delicious recipes and unique techniques, and cooking alongside him was both educational and fun. His attention to detail and passion for flavour are evident in everything he does. It was such a pleasure spending time in his world of creativity. I left inspired, grateful, and excited for what’s next. Highly recommend Lava Salt Studio to anyone who loves food, learning, and artistry.
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Kathryn H
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We love Lava salt. One thing we love the most is there’s so much flavour in each in each of his salts that you sometimes don’t need to add anything else. From seasoning on meat to veggies it makes anyone feel like a pro at home! We love how passionate Seb is about what he does and we love even some of the extra samples we get to try. They are great for gifts and beautifully packaged. I also love the descriptions and helpful hints on what to use them for to. They used to be an occasional use but now has become something we use in most of our cooking. We have nearly the whole collection but my current favourite would be smoked hickory BBQ!
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Anne-Maree Ross
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These Salts are next level! They both complement and elevate the flavours of your dish. We used these salts for a wine luncheon and the guests were raving about the flavours. We used the Smoked Tassie Mountain Pepper Salt on our Steaks and Smoked Black Truffle Salt on our truffle fries (yes, they were to die for!!) Highly recommend!

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