Canada’s Three Best Gelato Artisans of 2023 Named in Mississauga

Carpigiani announced the top three winners of its second North America gelato challenge, held on 1 March in Mississauga, Canada.

The winners

• First place: James Coleridge of Gelato by James, Vancouver, with “Hickory Smoked Maple Pecan”, blended with Amarena Italian cherries for a hint of sour and finished with Canadian sea salts
• Second place: Kaya Ogruce of Death in Venice, Toronto, with “Bread and Butter”, a sourdough bread gelato with brown butter and bread ash crumbs
• Third place: Gisella Zomparelli Chung of Gelato North, North York, with “Yuzu Ricotta Cheesecake”, yuzu citrus with creamy ricotta and mascarpone, topped with a cookie crunch

Road to the semifinals

The Toronto-area challenge was the second of four North America regional challenges in 2023. Three winners from each regional challenge advanced to the North American semifinals in Los Angeles in September 2023. The Gelato Festival World Masters, backed by Carpigiani and Sigep (Italian Exhibition Group), is a four-year series of competitions with a global final in Italy in 2025.

Entries were judged on ingredient choice, technical structure, craftsmanship and visual impact. The judges were:

• Annie Chu, food writer and founder of the blog Chu on This
• Joel Solish, food expert and founder of iamnevernoteating.com
• Jaclyn Irwin, certified nutritional practitioner and CEO of Holistic Foodie
• Marco Saladini, Italian Trade Commissioner
• Giorgio Tinelli, Italian Trade Commissioner

Other contestants

• Hurbert Kumaasi, Bliss Gelato (Stoney Creek): “Almond Magic”
• Daniella Zomparelli, Lola’s Gelato (Etobicoke): “Summer Fling”
• Jade Lalonde, On Third Thought (Toronto): “Grandma’s Rum Punch”
• Daniel Curren, Tatamagouche Ice Creamery (Nova Scotia): “Bourbon Coffee with caramel swirl”
• Shelley Westgarth, Belly Ice Cream (Huntsville): “Pineapple Upside Down Cake”
• Parry Sohi, Nani Gelato (Toronto): “FBI: Full Blown Italian”
• Ruben Rapetti, Spaccio Toronto (Toronto): “Wild Berries Stracciatella”
• Chantelle Heeney-Mallard, Mallard’s Milk Bar (Arnprior): “Newfoundland Sea Salt with Haskap Swirl”
• Paolo Di Lallo, Mizzica Gelato (Toronto): “Bocconotto Abruzzese”
• Salvatore Guarna, I Love Gelato (Burlington): “Bronzati”
• Erica Giuliani, La Looney Moo Gelato & Dolcetti (Etobicoke): “Fudgy Roman Turtle”
• Tatjana Mitrovic, Joy Foods (Ottawa): “Ice Passion”
• Stefania Pede, Cocoa 40 (Newmarket): “Firecracker”
• Erin Allen, Mio Gelato (Kingston): “Hazelnut with candied beet ripple”
• Gabriele Di Marco, Oretta (Toronto): “Sapori di Sicilia”

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival began in Florence in 2010 and spread through Italy and Europe. The first North American challenge was held in Colorado in 2017. After more than 80 regional festivals and more than 3,500 gelato artisans, the most recent winner was Ádám Fazekas of Budapest, Hungary, in 2021 with his Frutta di Pistacchio (Pistachio Fruit) gelato.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

The Canadian entries drew on local touches like maple, sea salt and haskap. Majors Group can help you build a signature range in Australia with Carpigiani gelato machines, Rubicone ingredients and training at Carpigiani Gelato University.

Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for Australia by Majors Group.