The Ice Kitchen, a quaint, new, and modern cafe located on Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw opened in Summer of 2017. Owner and creator Daniel Lee, an immigrant originally from South Korea, moved from Virginia to Atlanta in March of 2016 with the goal to open his own shop that offered coffee, ice cream, and other sweet goods to a wide crowd in the community.

Primarily, the cafe drums up business from their influences across social media, especially Instagram. Since opening day,  the cafe has attracted large crowds. The company also features pop-up events and shops all around Atlanta with collaborations and partnerships with local businesses, such as West Elm and The Forum Athletic Club.

Upon arrival to the cafe, the atmosphere feels clean, sleek, and modern. The cafe consists of simple, minimalist furniture and decorations, with artwork from various local vendors and artists featured on the walls. The hole-in-the-wall business feels welcoming and comforting.  

The Ice Kitchen’s menu features a variety of options for combinations of ice cream and toppings. I ordered sweet cream flavored ice cream mixed with Lucky Charms marshmallows and topped with sprinkles and M&M’s, and junior Rachel Maxwell ordered chocolate sea salt ice cream mixed with Kit-Kats and topped with Oreos.

To display the process of the preparation for the ice cream, a glass screen stands between the employee and the customers. The ice cream connoisseur first pours the base  cream flavor on a below-freezing metal table top with the mixed in-ingredient sitting in the center of the cream. The ice cream maker then begins to mix and chop up the mixed in component, and the freezing tabletop quickly turns the liquid cream into smooth ice cream. After spreading the ice cream thinly on the surface, the employee rolls the smooth mixture  into tight cylindrical tubes and carefully places each roll into a bowl, where they add any extra toppings. Rolled ice cream, which originated as a Thai popular snack, has become a popular dessert trend.

Sitting down with my ice cream in hand, and taking in a more detailed view of the shop, a calm, nostalgic feeling washed over me. The smooth mixture tasted like a bowl of ice cream in summer as a child, but with a modern twist. The ice cream tasted creamy and melts in one’s mouth easily, and the mixed in components add an extra burst of flavor.

“The atmosphere is very chill and aesthetic and they put a lot of thought into what they make, which makes it really good,” senior Grace Hannah said.

Overall, the new shop and ice cream itself exceeds expectations. The modern twist to the traditional ice cream flavors and popular trend of rolled ice cream gives The Ice Kitchen their own special brand. The new hot-spot for millennials possesses the perfect balance between modern and tradition, perfectly intertwining the local community.

The Chant’s Grade: A