ANZOLA DELL´EMILIA, Bologna – After having conquered the palates of thousands of people in Rome, Valencia, Dubai, Melbourne, and Austin, the Gelato World Tour Village is ready to welcome lovers of artisanal gelato to Alexanderplatz, Berlin, on 22-24 August 2014.
While fans are celebrating Germany as winner of the 2014 world cup in Brazil, Berlin is preparing to win also the title of gelato world capital. German gelato artisans have welcomed the news with a flood of registrations. Soon the jury will decide which 16 artisans will compete to win the title of World´s Best Gelato – Germany.
The German competition is being organized by two ´top players´ in the gelato world: the prestigious Carpigiani Gelato University, with its 13 campuses on five continents, and Sigep – Rimini Fiera, the most important artisanal confectionery trade show, along with the support of Italian display case manufacturer IFI, the only company in the world to use artisanal gelato to win the top design award – the Compasso d´Oro – thanks to the GWT Bellevue dipping case, and MEC3, top producer of ingredients for artisanal gelato and pastry, not to mention UNITEIS, the association of German gelato artisans.
The Gelato World Tour Village in AlexanderPlatz will be open to the public, free of charge. Visitors young and old will learn the secrets of artisanal gelato, participating in free seminars and mini lessons held by master gelato artisans from Carpigiani Gelato University. It will also be possible to participate in the seminar held by IFI on how to design a successful gelato shop, or to discover the thousands flavors of gelato thanks to the courses designed for the public and taught by master artisans from MEC3´s International School of Gelato.
To taste the delicious flavors prepared by the 16 competing artisans, visitors can purchase a Gelato Ticket at the Infopoint located in the village. The Gelato Ticket costs five euros and providesthe holder with five tastes (two cups and three mini cones). Purchasers become part of the jury and can vote for their favorite flavor, not to mention being automatically entered in the Taste & Win! Contest, which will award a latest-generation iPad to the selected winner. Other contests in the Village include the Tonda Challenge by IFI, where contestants will compete to win the Golden Scoop, as well as the Cookies Best Tester by MEC3, which will award the popular Cookie´s Cup. For more information: www.gelatoworldtour.com.
On 7 September the jury of experts and journalists, along with the popular jury, will decree the best flavor in the world. The same day the fortunate winner of the Gelato for Life contest will be selected, earning the right to a free gelato every day for 10 years from one of the gelato shops in the MyGelato App network, the free Carpigiani app that puts artisanal gelato shops on iOS and Android smartphones.
The Gelato World Tour is the first international roadshow focused on spreading the culture of Italian artisanal gelato, celebrating the freshness and high quality of this delicious, healthy, and exquisite food. At each stop, 16 gelato artisans compete with their best flavors, which are voted on by the public and a technical jury, not to mention the competing gelato artisans themselves. For the German stop the technical jurors will be Mario Dressino and Annalisa Carnio.
It is still possible to sign up. Gelato artisans in Germany who want to impress the public with their best flavor can register by filling out the form at www.gelatoworldtour.com/artisan-gelato-makers and then sending it to the Gelato World Tour Committee (fax +39.051.6505.305, e-mail committee@gelatoworldtour.com).
Germany is ranked second in the world for number of gelato shop (almost 9,000), but in first place for passion and artisanal passion. The link between Germany and Italy in this business is very strong, and the roots of this ancient trade run deep thanks to the Italian gelato artisans (especially from Zoldo and Cadore) who emigrated to Germany in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The flood of high-level registrations after signups were opened and the jury selected make it evident that the competition will see some excellent recipes.
Berlin will be the final stop of the Gelato World Tour before the Grand Finale which will be held 5-7 September in Piazzale Fellini in Rimini, near Europe´s most famous beach and next to the Grand Hotel made famous by the Rimini native Federico Fellini in his film Amarcord. Participants in the competition will include the finalists from all the previous stops. In fact, 24 artisans from five continents will compete with their best flavor, and at the end of the event the World´s Best Gelato will be declared. Fireworks will punctuate final celebrations.
The choice of Rimini as the location for the concluding event of this fantastic journey through the delicious world of gelato was due to the fact that this city is the home of Sigep, the International exhibition for the artisan production of gelato, pastry, confectionery, and bakery, created by Rimini Fiera. The local gelato shops of Rimini will be closely involved. Dozens of shops, supported by CAN and Confartigianato, have already signed up to participate and have been added to the interactive MyGelato App. Specially designed flavors will guide visitors through tasting tours, which, starting from Fellini park, will branch out in one direction towards Riccione, through shopping and wellness districts, and in the other direction towards Torre Pedrera, through areas of fun and water, not to mention the historical center. Many other initiatives will entertain the public, strengthening the bond among tour, local territory, and artisanal gelato shops.
The mission of Gelato World Tour, an event supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – General Directorate for the Promotion of National Systems, Ministry of Economic Development, Road to Expo 2015, and Emilia Romagna Region, is to spread the culture of Italian gelato, a fresh, unique artisanal food, to the public at large worldwide. So far, ´Mission Accomplished´ with great success. So much so, that a second edition is already being organized.
