BOLOGNA, Italy – For European Artisanal Gelato Day, celebrated every year on March 24th, Bologna became the capital of gelato by selecting the best gelato artisans in Italy after two days of competition.
120 of the best gelato artisans challenged each other on the campus of Carpigiani Gelato University, which became the site of the largest gelato competition for total number of participants.
Of all these, only eight will earn a spot at the World Final of the Gelato World Tour to be held on 8-10 September in Rimini.
Here are their names:
- Francesca Mombelli of the Gelateria Il Vizio del Gelato in S. Nicolò (PC) with “Pistacchio”; bringing his customers favorite flavor;
- Alessandro Crispini of Gelato Crispini in Spoleto (PG) with “Pistacchio”; one of the most historic Gelaterias in the region of Umbria.
• Alessandro Leo of Alexart in Corato (BA) with “Crema di Latte all’Olio Extravergine di Oliva”; showcased his regions fantastic olive oil with this unexpected combination;
• Bruno Di Maria of Gelateria Madison in Realmonte (AG) with “Pistachio“; a classic Sicilian flavor for the Gelato Artisan;
• Francesco and Salvatore Manuele of the Nuova Dolceria di Siracusa (SR) with “Mandorlivo; combining exemplarily mozzarella and almond nougat with extra virgin Tonda Iblea olive oil, grated lemon peel and a hint of citrus variegation of candied olive cubes;
• Daniele Mosca of Il Gelatiere di Amatrice (RI) with “Sapore d’Amatrice”; who unfortunately lost his Gelateria after the disastrous earthquake that struck Amatrice;
• Elisabeth Stolz of the Gelateria Osteria contadina Hubenbauer di Varna (BZ) with “L’anima dell’Alto Adige”; a sorbet using ingredients produced by the Stolz family with a base of Tyrolean organic apples and flavored with crispy Schüttelbrot bread and Speck salumi;
• Silvia Pennati of the Formazza Agricola di Formazza (VB) with “Latte e Menta Selvatica” a wild mint creation using local (0 KM) ingredients from her farm.
In Rimini, the city that every January hosts SIGEP, the most important exhibition in the world for the gelato supply chain with visitors arriving from 170 countries, the eight selected Italians will face the 32 “adversaries” from Asia, Africa , Europe and America, selected in the previous 11 international stages held on four continents.
The tour has arrived at Carpigiani University after a long, 16-month journey, traveling from north to south, with 59 stages in 18 regions, involving 1300 gelato artisans. A great challenge between competitors from Piedmont (6), Lombardy (12), Trentino Alto Adige (1), Friuli Venezia Giulia (3), Veneto (5), Liguria (3), Emilia-Romagna (9), Tuscany (12), Umbria (2), Lazio (12), Abruzzo (4), Basilicata (1), Campania (6), Marche (4), Apulia (9), Sicily (21), Calabria (9), and Sardinia (2).
Among these Gelato Artisans, 25 were female. Including the youngest ever contestant, 15 year old Corinne Cafiero of the Gelateria Primavera from Sorrento (NA) accompanied by her father.
The jury was composed of 35 experts, including food and wine journalists, chefs, pastry chefs and gelato artisans.
“The date chosen for the Italian Final was not accidental because we want to celebrate European Artisanal Gelato Day with the best gelato in Italy together with representatives from the major Italian newspapers. We spent 16 months on a tour of Italy in search of those stories that make the art of gelato great in our country, and we want these stories to get the visibility they deserve,”says Achille Sassoli, Director of the Gelato World Tour. “The eight winners and all the participants have given us two wonderful days, showcasing their passion for the work, their careful selection of ingredients, and their creativity in the preparation of the recipes. These are all qualities that we aim to spotlight in our efforts to spread the culture of Italian gelato throughout the world “.
“The Gelato World Tour is an extraordinary adventure, says Patrizia Cecchi, Italian Exhibitions Director of IEG, the trade fair company created from the merger between Rimini Fiera and Fiera di Vicenza, organizer of SIGEP, “and the Rimini trade show worked with its partners to offer a powerful boost along the journey. We have brought to the world an icon Made in Italy, facilitated the exchange of knowledge, meetings between great masters, and now we bring back to Italy this treasure of relationships that will further enrich the authoritative SIGEP Observatory on trends and market prospects. In September the Adriatic Riviera will host the grand finale of a winning project, a powerful driving force for the entire chain taking place in Emilia-Romagna, right in the heart of the global gelato business.”
Gelato World Tour’s numbers from 2013 to today:
- 11 international stages on 4 continents: Rome, Valencia, Melbourne, Dubai, Austin, Berlin, Rimini (Grand Finale 1st edition), Singapore, Tokyo, Chicago, and Shenzhen.
- Italian Challenge with 59 stops between 2015 and 2017.
- German Challenge with more than 60 German gelato artisans competing at Sigep 2017.
- 1,500 gelato artisans participating in the qualifying rounds.
- 60,000 kg of gelato produced.
- 1,000,000 cups and cones served.
- 8,000 articles in the Italian and international press.
The Final competition of the Gelato World Tour Italian Challenge is organized by Carpigiani Gelato University with the support of SIGEP – Italian Exhibition Group and Punto IT.
Official Suppliers: Carpigiani and its dealer network, Hiber, IFI, Valrhona, Zymil (Parmalat) lactose-free milk.
Media partners: Punto IT Gelato&BarPasticceria.
Cultural Partners: Carpigiani Gelato Museum and Luciana Polliotti.
