AdvertisementEating outRestaurant news Andrew McConnell, the man behind Gimlet, buys St Kilda’s iconic Stokehouse As a young chef, McConnell used to work for the family that owns Stokehouse. “We’ve built a venue that is truly cross-generational,” says Frank van Haandel. “Driving trade in winter is the real struggle in St Kilda, especially on the beach,” he says. Frank Van Haandel outside Stokehouse in St Kilda. “I’m happy to have another quality operator in St Kilda and, as a local, somewhere else to eat,” she says.