Gelato Festival World Masters Heads to Los Angeles

California was the next North American stop of the new Gelato Festival World Masters season, the international travelling competition searching for the world’s best gelato flavours. On 12 April, 15 gelato and ice cream makers were set to compete in Los Angeles for a spot in the North American Semifinals in 2023.

How the challenge worked

The challenge was organised in collaboration with Gelato Festival and Sigep (Italian Exhibition Group), the premier artisan gelato trade show, and the tour’s mission is to spread artisan gelato culture around the world. Competitors prepared their gelato in a kitchen provided by the organisers, then industry experts, local chefs and food journalists tasted and judged each entry. The three top flavours moved on to the North American Semifinals of the Gelato Festival World Masters in 2023.

Where Gelato Festival began

Gelato Festival debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by Bernardo Buontalenti’s first gelato recipe in 1559. It spread across Italy and Europe and, from 2017, the United States, with 80 festivals held, before going worldwide. The Gelato Festival World Masters 2021 concluded in December 2021 with a win for Adam Fazekas of Budapest, after a record 3,500 gelato artisans were judged by international juries.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

Gelato competitions highlight what good equipment and technique can achieve. Majors Group supplies Carpigiani gelato machines in Australia, and Carpigiani Gelato University offers courses for makers who want to refine their flavours.

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