The Gelato Festival World Masters, run with partners Carpigiani and Sigep (Italian Exhibition Group), made its fourth European stop of 2023 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 24 May, after Athens, Łódź and Budapest. Twelve Spanish gelato artisans competed during the GastroCanarias fair, and the top three now represent the Canary Islands at the Spanish Finals in 2024.

The winners

• First place: Alfredo José Marrero Páez of Boutique Relieve, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with “Origén cacao”, a gelato made with chocolate in different textures
• Second place: José Javier Rodríguez Medina of José Javier Rodriguez Medina Gelato Shop, Las Palmas, with “Cynara”, a cream cheese gelato with caramel and dried fruit notes
• Third place: Davide Grillo of El Tucán, Arguineguin, with “Velvet Red Rose”, a mascarpone and Philadelphia gelato with strawberry chocolate chips and red velvet and strawberry cookies

The three will compete in the Spanish Finals, scheduled for 2024 in Italy at Carpigiani Gelato University’s headquarters.

How the entries were judged

Judges scored four parameters: flavour, structure, creativity and presentation. That meant looking at ingredient choices, the craft behind the recipe and the gelato’s visual impact. The jury was:

• Alessandro Rusconi, pastry chef, third place at the National Pastry Championship 2021
• Luis Perera, pastry chef and trainer
• Rubén Medina Santos, pastry chef, first place at the Concurso Regional de Pastelería y Confitería Artesana de las Islas Canarias

The other participants

• Eloidio Aguilera Quintana, Fratelli Invest S.L (Santa Cruz de Tenerife): “Zabayone di la nonna”
• Stefano Rosso Viera, Bambola Gelato Crepes & Gofres (Santa Cruz de Tenerife): “Space jump – chocolate bacon”
• Jesús David Rodríguez Barroso, Pastelería Heladería Café David Rodríguez (Puerto de la Cruz): “Red Velvet de Pistacho”
• Laura Ferrari, Gelato del Mercato (Los Cristianos): “Leche dorada”
• Isidro Ortiz Trujillo, Guirlache (Las Palmas Gran Canaria): “Chef de Paris”
• Carina Graciela Rodz Nickel, Kerrico Heladería (Adeje): “Rafaelo Vegano”
• Carlos Rojas Rueda, Trompa & Co. (Barcelona): “Dark Emotion”
• Gianfranco Viscito, Gelatomania 2.0 (Las Palmas Gran Canaria): “Arroz con leche”
• Roberto Scarlatella, Heladería Panna Cioccolato (Arona): “Isla de sabores”

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival began in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first gelato recipe, created by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It spread across Italy, Europe and, from 2017, the United States, with a total of 80 festivals held. It then went global with the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021, which concluded 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 New Zealand

Judging on flavour, structure, creativity and presentation is a handy checklist for any gelato shop. Majors Group supplies Carpigiani gelato machines and Rubicone gelato ingredients in New Zealand, and Carpigiani Gelato University courses can help you refine your recipes.

Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for New Zealand by Majors Group.