Parker Blain
Frank, Sharon and Hugh van Haandel today announced they will pass on their 36-year-long operation of much-loved Melbourne restaurant Stokehouse to restaurateurs Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann, of Trader House (Marion, Supernormal (in Melbourne and Brisbane), Gimlet, Cutler and more).
“We feel incredibly privileged to become the next custodians of Stokehouse,” says McConnell. “Its reputation for exceptional food, warm service and memorable experiences in Melbourne’s best restaurant location has earned it a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike. There is nowhere else like Stokehouse.”
Following a fire that engulfed the site in 2014, the van Haandels relaunched Stokehouse in 2016; our reviewer described their successful attempt to interpret its essence with a modern fit-out soon after. McConnell says he has a similar goal: to retain the core of the iconic beachfront site’s upstairs dining room, bar and ground-floor pasta bar.
“Our intention is not to change what makes Stokehouse special,” he says. “We have enormous respect for its history and for the team that has helped shape it. We’re inheriting strong foundations, and we’re committed to investing in its future while preserving the qualities and the people that have made it so well loved.”
For the van Haandels, it’ll be a significant lifestyle change after almost 40 years of watching the waves roll in.“St Kilda Beach is one of Melbourne’s greatest assets, and going to the beach each day for the past 36 years has been a gift,” says Frank van Haandel.
McConnell and McGann will take on Stokehouse in October, with plans to update and evolve the restaurants in 2027. Their Melbourne CBD restaurant Côte Basque opens in August.
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