Golan Chetrit Wins Best Flavor North America 2023 With Halva Nagila
Golan Chetrit of Noi Due Gelato in New York City has been named Best Flavor North America 2023 at the Gelato Festival World Masters. His winning flavour, Halva Nagila, is a halva gelato with tahini, date syrup and roasted crispy rice.
The Los Angeles semifinals
The North America semifinals were held over the Labor Day weekend at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, on 2 and 3 September. Carpigiani and Sigep (Italian Exhibition Group) were strategic partners, with Los Angeles Magazine as media partner. Twelve gelato masters from the US and Canada competed, and each flavour was scored by a technical jury and by festival visitors. The jury included Sally Camacho Mueller of Curtis Stone Events, Mattia Agazzi of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills, and Rob Gentile of Stella West Hollywood.
Over the two days, visitors also enjoyed live demonstrations by gelato artisans, tastings and workshops, and could sample all 12 competing flavours.
Semifinalists heading to the 2025 North American Finals
Chetrit and four others now advance to the North American Finals in 2025, with a chance at the World Finals in Italy:
- Golan Chetrit, Noi Due Gelato (New York City), with Halva Nagila
- Gabriele di Marco, Oretta Restaurant (Toronto, ON), with Sapori di Sicilia
- Maria Liliana Biondo, uGOgelato (Cincinnati, OH), with Mandorland
- Melanie Wolf, Pompelmo Gelateria (Westerly, RI), with Taste The Tropics
- Giuseppe Lollino, Vero Coffee & Gelato (Franklin Park, IL), with Tribute to Setteveli
Technical jury special mention: Simona Vacca of Il Gusto (West Covina, CA) with Saffron Rosegarden.
People’s Choice: Francia Michelle Magsaysay of Francy’s Artisanal Ice Cream (Bergenfield, NJ) with Purple yam and cheese with craquantes, and Lauren Brock of Butterfat Gelato (Pittsburgh, PA) with Carrot Cake.
About the Gelato Festival World Masters
Founded in Florence in 2010 by Gabriele Poli, the tournament runs over a four-year cycle, with competitors chosen through hundreds of events across five continents. It has run 13 editions, with more than 100 public festivals in over 20 countries, and over 1,000 gelato masters take part each year. The event celebrates artisan gelato, which traces back to Bernardo Buontalenti in the Renaissance. This semifinal was held under the patronage of the Italian Trade Agency and the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles.
What this means for gelato makers in Australia
Winning flavours like these start with good technique and the right equipment. Majors Group supplies Carpigiani gelato machines in Australia, and you can sharpen your recipes through Carpigiani Gelato University and training options we organise locally.
Carpigiani in Australia — Majors Group
Majors Group is the official Carpigiani distributor in Australia: machines, Rubicone ingredients, ISA cabinets, Techfrost blast freezers, packaging, Carpigiani Gelato University training, finance and a national service team.
Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for Australia by Majors Group.