RIMINI – More than 70,000 people attended the Grand Finale of the Gelato World Tour in Rimini on 5-7 September. The gelato artisans produced about 6,500 kg of gelato and more than 70,000 cups and cones were sold in these three days in Piazza Fellini. Sigep-Rimini Fiera, the most important artisanal gelato trade show in the world and Carpigiani Gelato University, with the support of IFI and MEC3, set a new record. Twenty-four gelato artisans took part in the competition from all over the world to let people taste and judge their flavors; daily workshops, cooking shows, and contests were organized to bring people into the sweet world of gelato (the winners of Gelato for Life of MyGelato App and Gelato Pixel Passion will be declared on Saturday 27 September as part of the celebrations for the second anniversary of Carpigiani Gelato Museum in Bologna). Hundreds of journalists and bloggers went to Rimini to follow the event, as well as buyers from all over the world.
The Gelato was stored in 16 refrigerated IFI displays of the latest generation. Medac offered 70,000 cups, donated 60,000 mini-cones. The high quality of the flavors was guaranteed by the use of 730 Kg of MEC3 ingredients and over 5,000 liters of Parmalat milk.
The final result was based on four different juries: public, media, technical, and gelato artisans. The World´s Best Gelato is Almond Affogato by John & Sam Crowl of ´Cow and the Moon´ Gelato/Coffee/Dessert Bar in Sydney, Australia. The flavor embodies a Madagascan vanilla bean gelato with roasted caramelized coffee almonds folded through with a Kenyan coffee caramel sauce.
John Crowl declares: ‘my family and my many connections have said that the media in Australia is going crazy over the result of the Gelato World Tour. My shop has had a huge lines out the door and down the street all day and the Mandorla Affogato has been made non stop all day. This award proofs that also a foreign person can be a great gelato artisan if he/she studies hard and work with passion and tenacity every day´.
Crowl says more: ´The experience of competing at the GWT let alone winning the competition was incredible. The organisers, sponsors and staff held a fantastic event which felt more like a celebration of the industry than a competition (even though the competition was intense). The enthusiasm and support of everyone involved was beyond mention. The professionalism of the management team of the GWT and their zest for the industry ensured Rimini was treated to a great show. The feeling of winning the competition on the world stage is a dream come true. I have been involved in hospitality all my life and over the last 20 years I have dedicated my working life to the development of the Gelato industry in Australia. I have worked with many talented gelato makers and industry professionals and their passion for the industry drives my passion. Our family run Gelateria Cow and the Moon in the inner west of Sydney has been open for the last 4 years and still in a growth phase due to our dedication to quality in everything we do. Our family, staff and friends could not believe the result and have dropped everything to help out in the shop as lines of customers have been streaming through the doors since the news broke down under. We hope that winning this award for our family, staff and Australia helps to raise awareness for quality artisan gelato in Australia and around the world and contributes to the growth of the artisan gelato industry. We would like to thank our Cow and the Moon staff for their support and encouragement. They share the same passion as we do and are a major contributor to the culture that our shop has created in Sydney. We would also like to thank all of the organisers and sponsers of the Gelato World Tour because without them a competition as grand and spectacular as this would not be possible´.
2nd Place: Grumpy Heart by Francesco Mastroianni, ´Il Cantagalli´ Lamezia Terme (CZ), Italy. A pistachio cream with an intense flavor and an unmistakable aroma and consistency. The pistachios, from Bronte, are selected and prepared with care and passion.
3rd Place: Hazelnut Heart by Alessandro Lancierini ´Gelateria fiore´, Suzzara, Italy. With its classic but unique taste, hazelnut takes the gelato artisan back to its traditional roots.
The winner of the ´IFI Tonda Challenge´ (in which participants must prepare two ´perfect cups´ weighing 60 grams) is Frerk Veen of Kleine Borkumer Eiskonditorei (Borkum, Insel Borkum Ostfriesland/Niedersachsen), Germany.
The winner of the MEC3 ´Cookies® Best Taster´ (in which participants must determine the ingredients in a blind gelato taste test) is Carlos Enríquez Sánchez, Iceberg, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 2nd place, Ida Gabriela di Biaggio, Gelateria-Cioccolateria Novecento Pescara – Italia and 3rd place, Marco Vazzola, Eiscafé Venezia Birkenfeld (BIR), Deutschland The People´s Honorable Mention went to Gelateria Versace, Miami and Cesare Cellie & Claudio Bearesi with Bacio Gelato, Dubai (UAE).
Journalists and Bloggers´ Honorable Mention went to Carlos Enríquez Sánchez, Iceberg, Palma de Mallorca, Spain with the flavor Sóller Orange Sorbet with Fresh Mint and Cardamom and Andrea Botton from Gelateria Santamaria, Padua, Italy with his Yogurt with Honey & Nuts.
The Peers´ Honorable Mention went to Diana Kontoprias of Frangipani Gelato, Sydney (Australia) for the flavor ´Pavlova.
