Czech Republic’s First Gelato Festival World Masters Finalists

The first Czech leg of the new four-year Gelato Festival World Masters calendar took place in Prague on 6 December 2022. Seventeen Czech artisans competed, and the three highest-ranked have qualified for the Czech Final in 2024.

The competition

The event was organised by the local Carpigiani distributor and held at Almeco’s in Prague. Gelato Festival World Masters is the world championship run with Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group as strategic partners. Entries were scored on flavour, structure, creativity and verbal and aesthetic presentation. Judges looked at the choice of ingredients, the maker’s skill with the recipe and the overall result judged by sight, taste and smell.

The three finalists

• First place: Jiří Hochman of Mocca café in Tábor, with “Passion Brownie”.
• Second place: Hana Valášková of Cukrářství Eklér in Holešov, with “Praline with Pear”.
• Third place: Lukáš Pohnán of Zmrzlina Senomaty in Senomaty, with “Tarte Tatin”.

The jury was Helena Fléglová (pastry chef director of HF Pastry Academy), Tomáš Popp (chef and manager of the national chef team) and Darina Sieglová (food and wine journalist specialising in gelato).

The other participants

• Petra Schickerová, Puro Gelato, Prague: crema saffron with blackcurrant
• Vojtěch Řehák, Bauer Hotel Group, Prague: “Bauer zmrzlina”
• Michal Novák, Natali Gelato, Kralupy nad Vltavou: “Mascarpone di Natali”
• Lenka Zvoníčková Tachová, Togelato, Turnov: white chocolate with tonka
• Lukáš Taschner, Pragelina, Prague: “Banán v čokoládě”
• Monika Pavlisová, Zmrzka Bellezza – Nanukárna Pardubice, Pardubice: “Česko-italský polibek”
• Jiří Pecha, Fruitismo Factory, Prague: salted pistachio
• Jan Mareš, Bontè Gelaterie, Beroun: “Slaný karamel”
• Ivo Nádeníček, Tomivo Gelato, Brno: brown butter with caramel and brownie cubes
• Josef Branda, Pepeho Zmrzlina, Holice: “Afrika – Emil Holub”
• Nikola Švihnosová, Cukrárna Loket, Loket: yoghurt with sour cherries
• Jakub Gavor, Ještě Jednu, Brno: red velvet
• Radek Pincel, Valgelato, Valtice: “Krém Valgelato”
• Eva Rezková, Adria Gold, Nivnice: “Jablečný štrúdl”

Behind the championship

With the 2022-25 edition, Gelato Festival World Masters reaches its thirteenth year. It began in Florence in 2010, inspired by Bernardo Buontalenti’s first gelato recipe of 1559, then spread across Italy and Europe and, from 2017, to the United States. The 2018-2021 world championship involved more than 3,500 gelato makers.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

Local twists, from apple strudel to tarte tatin, are what make a gelato menu memorable. Our Carpigiani gelato machines and Rubicone ingredients help you turn those ideas into a reliable range, and Carpigiani Gelato University training through Majors Group can polish your technique.

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