Mount Jukes Family Farm plans brewery, restaurant
Barely a year into its culinary agritourism venture which has quickly delighted foodies, an Italian family hopes to expand with a new indoor restaurant, brewery and menu.
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Barely a year into its culinary agritourism venture which has quickly delighted foodies, an Italian family hopes to expand with a new indoor restaurant, brewery and menu.
Salvatore Cicchelli, together with Sabrina Rampi and their daughter Camilla, began dishing up authentic Italian pizza and smoked meats at their Mount Jukes Family Farm, about 30 minutes' drive north of Mackay, in late 2022.
Taking out second place in the vote for Mackay’s best pizza months later, the family now wants to upgrade from its mobile food truck and weather-vulnerable outdoor seating to a fully-fledged indoor restaurant complete with a pizza oven, brewery, bar and small shop selling souvenirs and gifts.
The application submitted to Mackay Regional Council states the business at 1000 Kuttabul Mount Jukes Rd will continue using ingredients grown on the 18.3ha former cane farm of 60 years.
“The (new) menu is proposed to include food and beverage items such as beer brewed on-site from locally grown hops, homemade pasta using eggs from free range chickens, lamb dishes, goats cheese and other goats milk products and Italian gelato made from bananas grown on-site and locally grown mangoes,” it states.
The indoor restaurant’s initial opening hours will be 10am to 8pm Thursday to Sunday.
“The owners of Mount Jukes Family Farm are second-generation restaurateurs with an extensive knowledge of and experience in farm-based agritourism, gourmet restaurants and craft breweries, having owned and operated restaurants in Italy and Western Australia, prior to moving to Mackay in 2019,” the application states.
It further says the owners plan to build a new sealed car park for 20 vehicles to service the “unique” tourist attraction.
The application was submitted in late 2023 with the council replying in January 2024 that it was improperly made, advising that the business use better aligned with a food and drink outlet rather than a food tourism attraction.
If the application is eventually successful, the farm will become the Mackay region’s third new brewery in the past couple of years with Red Dog opening its second brewery in the CBD last year.
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Originally published as Mount Jukes Family Farm plans brewery, restaurant
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