Norway’s Top 3 Gelato Artisans Named at Gelato Festival World Masters

Eleven Norwegian gelato artisans went head to head in Lillestrøm on 16 February 2023, and three of them have earned a spot in the European finals of Gelato Festival World Masters, scheduled for 2025.

The Norway Challenge in Lillestrøm

Gelato Festival World Masters is the top-level championship run with Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group as partners. Its 2022-2025 tour is travelling the globe in search of the world’s best gelato. The first Norwegian stop was held at the UMAMI ARENA trade show, hosted by Carpigiani’s local distributor.

Entries were scored on four criteria: flavour, structure, creativity and presentation. That meant judging the choice of ingredients, the skill behind the recipe and the visual impact of the finished gelato.

The winners

• First place: Patrick Dufaud of Kaffebakeriet in Oslo, with “Sjokolade sorbet med key lime”, a fresh chocolate sorbet with key lime, basil and cocoa nibs.
• Second place: Jolanta Ulys of Siddis Gelato AS in Stavanger, with “Triple Pistacchio”, a pistachio gelato variegated with pistachio sauce and pistachio grains.
• Third place: Anne Marstein Andersen of Alimenta in Frogner, with “Myse, ku, geit, bær og vafler”, a whey gelato made with cow and goat milk and brown cheese, variegated with lingonberry sauce and decorated with waffles.

The jury was Lars-Erik Undrum (owner of Villa Sole Konditori and Executive Chef & Pastry at Lily Akerkvartalet), Bernhard Azinger (pastry chef at Tine, Norway’s largest dairy producer) and Mia Christina Nilsen (owner of Soed Confectionary and Gelato, and Cafe Victor).

The other competitors

• Alfredo Fabio Esposito, DDS AS, Drammen: “Dark Secret”
• Caitlin Aarholt, Diplom Is, Hagan: “Fastelavn Italiano”
• Giovannino Fittipaldi, Gelatiamo, Hamar: “S´Aranzata”
• Alma Sundøy, Sundøys, Trondheim: “Vaffel & Brunost”
• Tiziana Tosi, Trovatelli, Hol: “Kubbeost med pærer”
• Dirk Kiefer, Lamella AS, Ålesund: “Tiramisu”
• Silje Kristine Hindar, SVAL Gelato og Kaffe, Kristiansand: “Black Currant Dream-Solbær Drøm”
• Lilli Bruntse Baardsen, Lilli’s Gelato Cafe, Lillesand: “Chili/Lime/Lakris”

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival began in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first gelato recipe, created by architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It spread across Italy and Europe, reached the United States in 2017 and had held 80 festivals before going global with Gelato Festival World Masters 2021. That edition ended 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

Competitions like this show how far a single signature flavour can take a gelateria. If you are building your own range, the right batch freezer makes the difference between a good recipe and a great texture, and our Carpigiani gelato machines are what many of these artisans work with. Rubicone ingredients give you pastes and variegates to experiment with, and Carpigiani Gelato University courses through Majors Group can sharpen your recipe skills.

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