Gelato Festival World Masters returned to the Czech Republic for its second national stop, and Prague picked three gelato makers to go on to the 2024 Czech Finals.

The Prague round

Following the previous year’s challenge, 16 Czech gelato makers competed in Prague on 6 December 2023. The championship is run with Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group as strategic partners. Gelatos were judged on flavour, structure, creativity, and verbal and aesthetic presentation, covering ingredient choice, the maker’s skill in developing and explaining the recipe, and the overall result through sight, taste and smell.

The winners

• First place: Jitka Štáhlichová of Kolombina, Plzeň, with “Sicily dream”
• Second place: Jakub Gavor of Ještě jednu, Brno, with “Bacio cake”
• Third place: Lenka Tachová of Togelato, Turnov, with “Cinnamon roll”

The jury was Tomáš Malý (pastry chef and founder of NM Desserts), Tomáš Popp (chef manager of the AKC ČR national team of chefs and pastry chefs) and Šárka Divácká (pastry chef and winner of Gourmet Brno 2023).

The other participants

• Jan Moučka, Cukrárna u Moučků, Strančice: “Tvarohovo povidlový koláč s drobenkou”
• Dagmar Válová, Merhautovo pekařství, Benátky nad Jizerou: “Mango sticky rise”
• Jaroslav Šabat, Šabatovo zmrzlinářství, Týnec nad Sázavou: “Cocopapa”
• Martin Strnad, Sigolo Gelato, Plzeň: “Drobenkový koláč”
• Vít Vaníček, Gelato Della Vita, Liberec: “Jablečný štrůdl”
• Matouš Kocourek, Ice Krám, Trutnov: “Krtkův dort”
• Martin Bulva, Zmrzka z hor, Špindlerův Mlýn: “Malinovo/borůvkový cheesecake”
• Barbora Kovářová, Barčelato, Brno: “Pekanový koláč”
• Ludmila Abrhám, Puro Gelato, Prague: “Odvážná mandarinka”
• Tomáš Mrkos, Tomivo Gelato, Lipůvka: “Alito Fresco”
• Radek Pincel, Valgelato, Valtice: “Jako croquembouche”
• Eva Rezková, Adriagold, Nivnice: “Pistácie v čokoláde”
• Josef Branda, Pepeho zmrzlina, Holice: “Tvarohovo smetanový krém s malinou”

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first gelato recipe, created by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It expanded across Italy, Europe and, from 2017, the United States, with 80 festivals held, before going global with the 2021 Gelato Festival World Masters. That edition 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 New Zealand

Good gelato starts with solid equipment and training. Majors Group offers Carpigiani gelato machines, Rubicone ingredients and Carpigiani Gelato University courses for makers in New Zealand.

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