Acclaimed restaurant Igni to be ‘put to bed’ indefinitely

The CBD restaurant, run by celebrated Geelong chef Aaron Turner, will close on September 24.

A statement posted to the restaurant’s social media page said it was time to close.

“With tears in our eyes it is with huge excitement that, after seven years, we announce that Igni will be taking an indefinite break,” the post read.

“The end of September will mark the last services for our little two-hat restaurant, as Igni takes a back-seat to make way for an exciting new direction.”

Igni opened in 2016 and has become a staple of Geelong’s hospitality scene.

Turner and Igni’s front-of-house specialist, Jo Smith, had previously worked together at the highly-acclaimed Loam restaurant in Drysdale, which closed in 2013.

Ingi, located in Ryan Place, was a success from its first year.

In 2017, the restaurant was named Best Regional Restaurant at Gourmet Traveller’s national restaurant awards, beating out venues from across the country.

Following the restaurant’s blistering success, Mr Turner released a book in October 2017 called Igni: A restaurant’s first year.

Mr Turner hasn’t been the only chef to be recognised, with sous chef James Bond-Kennedy taking home the Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Awards (Pacific Region) in 2019.

That same year, the venue was listed among Victoria’s top 100 restaurants in the prestigious Delicious 100, the only Geelong-based restaurant to do so.

The listing cited Mr Turner as “serving feasts of fire and ferments to a soundtrack of Stevie Wonder”.

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In a statement, Igni operators thanked staff and reflected on the challenges of the past few years.

“We think ourselves fortunate, as an independent small business, to be still operating after a global pandemic. Though, in reality, its effects are ongoing and it’s forced a shift in the way we all live,” the statement read.

While Igni’s time is up, what follows will retain Mr Turner’s trademark open use of flame and regional produce.

“The reimagining will continue to centre around cooking over fire, using great local products, punchy flavours, fun and unique drinks, and sharing a meal with loved ones,” the statement said.

Bookings at Igni are available until September 24 and the restaurant has said it will honour unredeemed vouchers, even after Igni had been “put to bed”.

“Guests are encouraged to make a reservation … to enjoy one last mean with us before we shake things up,” the statement read.