Six UK Gelato Artisans Compete for Two World Finals Places

The Gelato Festival World Masters, which has toured the world since 2017 searching for the best gelato flavours, moved a step closer to its World Finals with the UK final. On 6 July at the Gelato Museum in Italy, six UK artisans competed for the two places reserved for their country.

The six finalists

The Gelato Museum is the world’s first museum dedicated to the social and technological history of artisan gelato. Despite the pandemic pause, the competition has showcased the flavours of more than 2,500 gelato artisans. The UK finalists were:

1. Taseer, Fabulous Ice Fires, London: Wild Cherry
2. Roberto Culivicchi, Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato, York: Lemon and Basil
3. Darren Swales, Baci & Co, Louth, Lincolnshire: Fresh Lemon & Garden Mint with a Lime Drizzle
4. Fabiano Franzoso, Cremoloso Gelato, London: Salted Amaretto
5. Akash Vaghela, Crème Glacée, London: Limbu Sorbetta
6. Somers Giacopazzi, Giacopazzi’s, Eyemouth: Christmas Pudding

A hybrid format

To keep everyone safe, the event combined digital streaming and expert judging with in-person tasting:

• Artisans shipped their mixes, plus ingredients for decorating and variegating the flavour, in refrigerated consignments.
• Carpigiani Gelato University instructors produced the gelato while the competitors supervised over a live video link.
• A jury of professionals from the Gelato World Cup Committee assessed each flavour in a real-time conference with the artisan.
• Broadcasting from their own shops, the artisans explained where the idea came from, how they chose the ingredients and why they entered.

About the competition

The event is run with Carpigiani Gelato University (20 campuses in 19 countries) and Sigep, organised by Italian Exhibition Group. The Italian second semi-final with 76 artisans was planned for September 2021, the Italian Final with 16 for October and the World Finals for December. The Gelato Festival began in Florence in 2010, inspired by Bernardo Buontalenti’s 1559 recipe, and has held 64 festivals across Italy, Europe and the United States.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

Remote, hybrid formats have made gelato education more accessible than ever. To learn from the same school, see Carpigiani Gelato University and our training options, or browse gelato machines for your shop.

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