Mountain Creek Wholefoods Kitchen returns (and it opens tomorrow)

Posted on 23 September, 2026

Hold onto your hats (and your stomachs), because fresh, seasonal meals made in-store by Executive Chef Massimo Di Chirico are coming to Mountain Creek Wholefoods with the reopening of the Wholefoods Kitchen.

They will be available from tomorrow.

Bringing colourful, satisfying and freshly prepared meals to Canberra’s south, the reopening of the kitchen marks a momentous moment. Mountain Creek has called Griffith Shops home since 1977 (when it first opened as a holistic health food store), and nearly 50 years later, its shelves hold more than 8,000 products from around 200 suppliers.

Earlier this year, an artisan bakery joined the store, producing organic sourdough and pastries each day, and now the kitchen is firing up again with a simple promise of making real food that’s ready when you are.

Using wholefood ingredients wherever possible (with organic ingredients chosen when available), the focus will be on proper, satisfying meals that bring together vegetables, protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates.

“Every ingredient should have a reason for being on the plate,” says Massimo.

“I think about where it comes from, what is at its best right now and how it works with everything else in the dish. The menu will keep changing and cater to different ways of eating, but the idea will always remain the same: real ingredients and nothing hidden.”

Changing with the seasons, Massimo will also clearly list every component, so customers know exactly what is in their meal. Serving it in sustainable takeaway packaging, it promises to be a true ‘feel good’ alternative to other takeaway options.

Bringing his experience from Italy, Massimo’s spring menu includes meals like citrus quinoa salad with feta and roasted almonds; roasted pumpkin, rice and chickpea salad with lemon tahini; and cauliflower three ways with beetroot and macadamias. For those craving something warm and comforting, the lemon caper chicken served with golden roast potatoes and pumpkin purée is sure to be a hit. And yes, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian choices will all be available from day one.

Cooking with ingredients found on Mountain Creek’s shelves, Massimo hopes his counter meals will inspire customers to recreate them at home.

“People often pick up a jar or a bag from the shelf and think, ‘That looks interesting, but what would I do with it?’” he says. “Now they can taste it in a finished dish first.”

“We want the kitchen to grow with the people who shop and eat here. We’ll listen to what they enjoy, try new things and keep responding to what the community wants.”

Mountain Creek Wholefoods Kitchen opens Thursday 24 September.

Photography: Pew Pew Studio.