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June 23, 2023

Friday Food Insider: Everything is better with ice cream

Alexis Wells Rococo Ice Cream was founded in 2012 and the inspiration behind the business came from owner Lauren Guptill's time in Argentina.
By Alexis Wells

What better way to celebrate the first week of summer than a visit to a local ice cream spot?

Rococo Ice Cream, a Kennebunk fan favorite, has moved from its previous Dock Square location to a new flagship scoop shop in Kennebunk’s Lower Village at 8 Western Ave. The new location opened at the beginning of June and makes the perfect spot to drop in and get some ice cream after a meal at one of Kennebunk’s restaurants. 

Rococo Ice Cream will also be opening a first-of-its-kind dessert bar next door, and is expected to open in mid-July. It will be open from mid-afternoon to 11 p.m. 

The menu is available to dine-in or to-go and will feature a take on ice cream cocktails and ice cream-focused desserts including a variety of ice cream floats, milkshakes, affogatos, sundaes and ice cream desserts like Baked Alaska, cakes and pies.       

Alexis Wells
Rococo Ice Cream's new dessert bar will be open from mid-afternoon till 11 p.m.

Founder Lauren Guptill told Mainebiz that the dessert bar is designed to transport people around the world, with Mediterranean-green tiles, hints of cream and gold ceramic Italian-inspired flooring, gold-colored banquettes a la Paris and a bar space designed with a modern spin on Rococo-era architectural playfulness. It has a romantic feel to it and would make it a perfect spot for dates, as well as gathering for friends and family. 

“The dessert shop are separate entities,” said Guptill. “If someone wants to come in and get a scoop of ice cream this shop is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. and the dessert bar is a separate entrance and it will be a sit-down dessert restaurant experience.”

Alexis Wells
Rococo's ice cream flavors.

Guptill will be collaborating with Shipyard Brewing Co., using the Sunfish Ale and turning the beer into a wheat ale ice cream composed of fruity notes, apricot jam and bites of candied ginger. Rococo will continue to have fan favorites like strawberry basil and guava Maria cookie. 

Rococo was founded in 2012 and the inspiration behind the business came from Guptill’s time in Argentina. She had lived there for four years and spent a lot of time in ice cream shops observing how ice cream in Argentina was made. 

“I decided to move back to Maine and when I was thinking about what I wanted to do next,” said Guptill. “This style of ice cream came back to my mind and I thought maybe I can recreate that Argentine-style ice cream here in the U.S. and do it in a way which it becomes part of a community.”

All of Rococo's ice cream is made in-store and can be shipped anywhere. The store also has customizable ice cream boxes that come every month. Previous boxes were Argentine-inspired flavors, herbs, spices, tea, coffee collections and more.

Woodhull, designed and built Rococo’s new spot and the interior design team consisted of a duo of long-time Kennebunkport locals, Christy Ried and Krista Stokes.

Photo / Alexis Wells
Pictured here is Rococo's top-selling flavor Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord.

Since this is the first week of summer I can only say my ice cream intake has increased and as an ice cream connoisseur I am now on the hunt for the perfect ice cream flavor. Personally, you can’t go wrong with half vanilla and half peanut butter with chocolate jimmies of course. But I will say that Rococo’s Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord is something I have been dreaming about since I had it last week. I highly recommend it and it is a Rococo signature flavor.

What is your go-to ice cream flavor and where is it located? The Mainebiz Food Insider wants to know! Contact Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz

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