Wei-Chun Hung Wins the Chinese Taipei Gelato Festival Selection

The global selections for Gelato Festival World Masters finished at the Taipei International Bakery Show. On March 12, twenty Taiwanese gelato makers competed in the event, organised by Carbing Enterprise, and Wei-Chun Hung of The Happiness Shop in Changhua came out on top.

The winning flavour

Hung won with “Formosa Mont Blanc Gelato”, which brings together Taiwan’s century-old Tie Guan Yin tea and Europe’s Mont Blanc. The gelato opens with the charcoal-roasted depth of the tea, woven with the gentle sweetness of chestnut and subtle notes of caramel and rum. A hidden coulis adds a delicate tartness that cuts through the richness and wakes up the tea’s complexity. As it unfolds, the tea deepens, the chestnut softens and the caramel and rum settle into supporting roles. It is a meeting of Taiwanese tradition and a European classic.

Hung went on to the Grand Finale at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas, held from March 24 to 26, 2026. The championship is run with strategic partners Carpigiani and SIGEP World by Italian Exhibition Group.

How the gelato was judged

Entries were scored on four parameters: taste, texture, creativity, and verbal and visual presentation. Judges looked at ingredient choice, the maker’s skill in developing the recipe, how well the flavour was communicated, and the overall result for sight, taste and smell.

The jury was Marco Chen (gelato instructor), Iacopo Frassi (Executive Chef of FRASSI*), En Kuo (pastry chef at En pâtisserie) and Denise Liu (gelato chef and owner of Lady Chef Gelato).

All the participants

• Wei-Chun Hung, The Happiness Shop, Changhua: “Formosa Mont Blanc Gelato” (winner)
• Jhen Yu Chen, Jiu Wei Mochi, Nantou: “The Mountain Sanctuary”
• Chang-Chi Huang, Dolce Gelateria, Taipei City: “Old Soul”
• Yi Yin Lin, Riso Gelato, Taichung: “Lemon Tiramisu”
• Pin Han Huang, Eriel, Kaohsiung: “Black Pink”
• Kun Long Chen, Fresh Sweet Trading, Taipei City: “The Back Mountain Taiwan”
• Chen Man Ping, Easy Bird Restaurant, Taipei City: “Bacio di Formosa”
• Ming-Ju Huang, Little Bee Ice Shop, Hsinchu: “Fragrant Guava and Lemon”
• Che-Cheng Lin, Sweet Tooth Artisan Studio, New Taipei: “The Golden Summer Isle”
• Chia Shin Shih, NINAO Gelato Classico, Tainan: “A Tea Waltz”
• Yue Hang Yang, Bing Guo Gelato, Taichung: “Green Miracle”
• Jeff Li, FrozenHeart, Changhua: “Golden Osmanthus Oolong”
• Hsieh Nai Hsuan, Nai Xian Food Studio, Taipei City: “Smoked Nut & Caramel”
• Wei-Chen Huang, Qian Qiao Gu Bakery, Yunlin: “Jasmine Peanut Sorbet”
• Sheng Kai Hsu, Sheng Coffee, Nantou: “Pink Guava Triple Sec”
• Yi Hsien Lin, Gelatail Five Drops, Kaohsiung: “La Siesta”
• Szu Chi Chen, Odd One Out, Taipei City: “Peanut Ice Cream Roll”
• Kao Sheng Chieh, Imperial Consort Italian Gelato, Tainan: “Venus High Tea”
• Zong Yu Tsai, 8%ICE & Cheesecake, Taipei City: “Roasted-Aged-Tipsy”
• Ho-Yo Lin, Shanshanji Dessert & Gelato Studio, Tainan: “Citrus Morning Dew”

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first gelato recipe, created by architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It spread to the rest of Italy and Europe, reached the United States in 2017 (80 festivals in total), then went worldwide with the World Masters championship. The 2021 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

Flavours like this show how local ingredients can lift classic gelato. If you want to develop your own signature recipes, Majors Group can help with Carpigiani gelato machines, training at Carpigiani Gelato University and Rubicone gelato ingredients.

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