The Inventing Room Dessert Shop Reinvents Itself to Serve Safely

Ian and Stacy Kleinman's little shop of wonder and delight, the Inventing Room Dessert Shop, has been closed since March 17 as the couple made plans to reopen only if they could do it safely and without the typical crowds of curious customers jostling for a view of liquid nitrogen ice cream, exploding whipped cream, bizarre cotton candy and other treats being made behind the counter. And now that time has come: The Inventing Room will reopen on June 7 with a ticketed entry system to control the number of guests inside the shop while providing entertainment and desserts to small groups.

The new Science of Dessert program, which the couple calls "an innovative and intimate dessert experience," will give groups of up to nine guests a thirty-minute overview of the Inventing Room's culinary techniques while offering samples of a range of sweet and savory snacks. The space has been divided into three stations: liquid nitrogen, sugar and chocolate crystal formations, and glow-in-the-dark desserts (something new that Ian has been tinkering with over the past several months). Returning favorites include Really, Really Cold Cheetos and Nitro Space Foam, but there will also be glowing chocolate truffles and a s'mores sundae.

Science of Dessert combines the dessert shop's open kitchen with the Kleinmans' catering expertise to create a small party that should feel more like a special event than a typical trip to the ice cream shop. And the Inventing Room will also cater to specific dietary needs for those avoiding dairy or gluten. Tickets are $15 each and are now available on the Inventing Room's website in thirty-minute increments beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 7. This will be a daytime experience for now, with the last reservations available at 3 p.m.

Ian Kleinman, once a restaurant chef, has been running the Inventing Room for more than a decade, first as a catering company and pop-up specialist before opening the original Inventing Room Dessert Shop on Lawrence Street in 2015. The dessert shop moved to its current home at 4431 West 29th Avenue in October 2017, where the culinary team has been wowing customers ever since.