STUTTGART, Germany – The Grand Prix GELATISSIMO will probably be the biggest highlight of GELATISSIMO, which is being held in Stuttgart from 5 to 9 February 2022. Hundreds of gelato professionals will vie with one another in this exciting competition to see who can serve the jury the best gelato creations. In addition to the first-rate prizes that can be won, the participants are primarily looking forward to exchanging ideas and experiences.
Learning from one another to become even better – that is the actual challenge. Marco Levati, the inventor of the gelato competition and the owner of the Levati Editori publishing company, knows how the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO came into being, who makes it onto the jury and what characteristics are required to win the competition.
How long have you been organising the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO? And how has it developed to date?
In 2014 we included in the gelato trade fair a competition where the best gelatieri in Europe can demonstrate their skills: the German stage of the European Championship of Gelato was held during GELATISSIMO at that time. The trade visitors were impressed! We therefore created our own competition together with Messe Stuttgart for the next edition of GELATISSIMO. Several hundred gelato professionals from all over Europe and even the United States now register to take part in the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO in order to compete against one another in the preparation of the best gelato. A great success for us! This is ultimately due to the high degree of transparency, but also the professional organisation of the event.
Why is it worthwhile for gelatieri to take part in the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO? What makes the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO so special?
The special aspect of the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO is that the most knowledgeable talents in the industry can compete against one another, but also learn from one another. In the broadest sense the competition helps the gelatieri to improve the quality of their gelato even more.
We offer an extremely professional framework with the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO. The gelato creations are prepared, for example, in a technically well-equipped ice cream laboratory and are monitored by the most recognised gelato masters in Europe. They also take part, for example, in the evaluation of the gelato samples.
What characteristics and skills should gelatieri possess to win the competition?
The Grand Prix GELATISSIMO is a competition that is open to everyone. Even less experienced gelatieri have the opportunity to win the coveted trophy, the Coppa GELATISSIMO, if their gelato creations impress the jury with their taste, appearance and consistency. In my opinion, however, exchanging experiences with colleagues is much more important than winning the competition.
How can interested gelato professionals register for the competition?
Anyone wanting to register to take part in the competition will find all the useful information on the homepage www.grandprixgelatissimo.eu
How is the competition conducted?
During the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO 2022 the gelato professionals will compete against one another to create pistachio, yoghurt or strawberry gelato. For the first part of the competition the participants should prepare three litres of the gelato flavour, with which they registered, to such an extent that they only have to carry out the freezing process on the spot. This will take place with the aid of the competition technicians directly in front of the audience. The gelatieri will fill a sample of their gelato creation in a thermal container marked with a numerical code in order to ensure anonymous judging by the jury. In the preliminary round the experts will determine the five best gelato samples for the final judging which will take place live before the public. Every member of the jury can award between six and ten points here. The competitor receiving the highest number of points will win the race for the gelato flavours pistachio, yoghurt or strawberry. In the next round on the fourth day of the trade fair the three winners will have to prepare the best coconut sorbet. The person who also comes out on top in this round will win the coveted Coppa GELATISSIMO trophy.
Who sits on the jury and how are the jury members picked? What qualities should they have to be a suitable member of the jury?
Only persons with first-class specialist knowledge of gelato production can become a member of the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO jury. The industry experts are normally experienced gelato masters who have an excellent international reputation or are leading representatives of the sponsoring companies who support the event.
What criteria are used to judge the gelato creations?
Taste, appearance and consistency are the decisive criteria for the evaluation of the gelato creations. In addition to the decision by the jury members, the vote by consumers is also included. Consumers are represented by one member of the jury.
What prizes can the winners look forward to?
The participants enter the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO with their gelato creations in the flavours pistachio, yoghurt and strawberry. The respective winners of the first competition rounds will have the opportunity to win a Vespa Primavera in the suitable colours green, white and red. The three best gelatieri in the pistachio competition will also each receive a voucher for a cruise for two persons on the Costa Crociere ship. In the finale “Best in Show” the three winners from the previous days will again compete against one another to produce the best coconut sorbet and win the trophy, the Coppa GELATISSIMO 2022.
During Intercoppa, the extra competition on the last day of the trade fair, the 15 finalists – the five best participants for each ice cream flavour – will compete against the 15 best gelatieri from the last editions of the Grand Prix in 2016, 2018 and 2020. 60 gelato professionals will therefore compete in front of a live audience to determine who produces the best “variegato amarena” gelato. The prize in this competition will be a Fiat 500 worth 15,000 Euros.
Do you know what happened to the winners from previous years?
Taking part in the Grand Prix GELATISSIMO is not only worthwhile because it is a very educational event offering valuable prizes. Real success comes after the competition because participation generates a great deal of attention through editorial reporting in specialist media and via social media. The winners of the Grand Prix have also enjoyed this experience.
What other live shows should gelatieri attend during GELATISSIMO 2022?
Exciting seminars and technical demonstrations with the best gelato masters in Europe will take place during the breaks between the competition rounds. At GELATISSIMO 2022 we are looking forward to Giorgio Ballabeni from Munich who will explain, for example, to the trade visitors how first-rate candied fruit is prepared. Alessandro Romeo from Verona will also honour us with a visit to Stuttgart. He is a master of his craft and will give a talk on how home-made filled chocolates can be marketed as an additional line of business. However, I am also looking forward very much to Paolo Cappellini from Ancona who will present his new book entitled “Gelatology” and introduce us to the secrets of gelato production from chemical aspects.
All the programme highlights can be found online at www.gelatissimo-expo.com/grandprix and at www.grandprixgelatissimo.eu
About GELATISSIMO
GELATISSIMO is the largest trade fair for gelato north of the Alps. Gelatieri, owners of ice cream parlours and cafés, as well as restaurateurs discover here the latest technologies, the best raw materials and state-of-the-art equipment for gelato production, and obtain information on promising sales concepts. GELATISSIMO will take place again in Stuttgart from 5 to 9 February 2022 concurrently with Intergastra, the leading trade fair for the hotel and gastronomy business. Both trade fairs profit from their synergies. In 2020, for example, around 102,000 trade visitors from more than 30,000 companies discovered the wide range of products and services from the world of gelato, gastronomy and hotels.
www.gelatissimo-expo.com.
