Jon Adams Wins the UK’s First Gelato Challenge of 2024

The Gelato Festival World Masters, run with partners Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group, has found its first UK finalist. On 7 November 2024, at the Park Royal Development Kitchen in London, nine gelato makers from England took part in the first UK competition of the year, organised by Carpigiani UK.

The winner and special mention

Jon Adams of Gelato Gusto, Chichester, won with “Liquorice & Salted Caramel”, a plant-based caramel gelato with a hint of salty liquorice. The West Sussex gelato maker moves on to the European Finals, scheduled for 2025.

The jury was impressed by the standard of the flavours and gave a special mention to Lewis Ratto of Alfonso Gelateria, Woodstock, for “Caffelatte Mascarpone”, a mascarpone caffelatte gelato with a mocha ripple and hazelnut crumble.

Judging and participants

Flavour, structure, creativity and presentation were the four criteria, covering ingredient choice, recipe craftsmanship and visual impact. The jury was:

• Michele Stanco, executive chef de cuisine at The Albany
• Claire Clark, pastry chef and founder of Claire Clark Academy
• Graham Hornigold, pastry chef and director at Longboys
• Bruno Forte, CEO at Swoon Gelato
• Josh Walton, editor at Foodservice Equipment Journal

The other participants were:

• Fabiano Franzoso, Cremoloso Gelato, London: “Midnight Smoke”
• Biagio Di Fiore, Wave Gelato, London: “Indigenous Tonka”
• Tamas Kiss, Ildiko’s Chocolate, Leatherhead: “Un abbraccio dall’Italia (A hug from Italy)”
• Philip Harrison, Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium, Whitstable: “Miso-banana-butterscotch pudding”
• Diego Alfonso Celis, Bertotti Gelato, London: “Pickled Plum Citrus”
• Avraham Cohen, Booya, London: “Booya Balagan”
• Donna Silva, Mestizos Artisanal Gelato, London: “Mestizos Ube Cheesecake”

About the Gelato Festival World Masters

The championship began in Florence in 2010 and was inspired by the first documented gelato recipe, created by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It grew from a local contest into a tour across Italy, then Europe, and from 2017 into the United States. It went global with the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021 edition, which finished in December 2021 with a win for Adam Fazekas of Budapest and a record 3,500 gelato artisans judged by international juries.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

Competitions like this show how far a well-balanced recipe, good technique and a confident story can take a gelato maker. If you are building your own flavour range, the right artisan gelato machines and a solid grounding from Carpigiani Gelato University are the place to start, and Majors Group can help with both in Australia. Our team can also talk you through Rubicone ingredients for your next signature flavour.

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