Kenny Lover
THE LATEST
It’s rarely fun to say farewell to a lover. But it’ll be especially hard with this one. On Tuesday, August 20, Kenny Lover – the nostalgic ice-creamery with Michelin-star pedigree – announced that it will close its doors in the next fortnight.
“We are sorry it’s short notice but that's how things can roll sometimes,” the venue wrote in a statement.
“It’s been an absolute blast, we’ve had a great time and we are really sad to leave but we simply can’t keep it up at the moment.”
Over the last five years, the oddball ice-creamery has become known for its obscure flavours – some of which will return before the closure. Expect to find flavours like kalamata olive, soy sauce and toasted marshmallow. And of course, its ice-cream jaffles.
The announcement follows a spate of venue closures in 2024, including Black Star Pastry’s Melbourne outlets, Mali Bakes Fitzroy, Pie Thief Fitzroy and more.
Features
Ice-creamery Kenny Lover sells the classic flavours you’re accustomed to – pistachio, chocolate, et cetera – but its real forte is the weird and unfamiliar. Soy sauce ice-cream, for example. Or yuzu and sake. Or kalamata olive and white chocolate. Any order can be jazzed up with a spoonful of Kenny Crunch (salted, candied pepitas) or Kenny Sprinkles (puffed rice tinted with natural colours).
Michael Baker – one of four owners here – learnt the craft while cooking at Alkimia, a one-Michelin Star restaurant in Barcelona, and furthered his education at the three-Michelin Star El Celler de Can Roca, 90 minutes west of there. His ice-creams (not gelato) are made with milk and cream from St David Dairy, a trio of sugars (dextrose, glucose, sucrose) and a two-part natural stabiliser (guar gum, carob bean gum).
Kenny Lover’s other specialities are spiders made with small-batch sodas from another business Baker owns, Henry Sugar, and hot chips – for dipping in your ice-cream.
Contact Details 
Phone: No phone
Website: kennylover.com.au
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