Between 11 and 14 June 2019, nine gelato artisans made and served their gelato to the public and a technical jury at the FISPAL Food Service Fair in Brazil. Three of them earned a spot in the national final.

From qualifiers to the fair

The nine competitors were chosen in qualifying rounds held in April and May at the Carpigiani do Brasil headquarters. Each artisan brought a pasteurised, flavoured gelato mix and batched it in a 30-minute shift. Judges assessed everyone at the end of the day to decide who moved on.

On 11 June each maestro produced roughly 60 kg of gelato during their shift. On 12 and 13 June they batched in the morning and served the public in the afternoon, and the public jury tasted all nine flavours on the first day and voted for a favourite.

The technical jury

On the final day each competitor prepared a single flavour for the technical jury:

• Leandro Sambini, a professional with more than 20 years in the sector
• Rodrigo Ribeiro, gastronomy teacher at Mackenzie University
• Rodrigo Libbos, gastronomy teacher at Mackenzie University
• Daniel Martins, gastronomy teacher at Mackenzie University
• Robert Haulfoun, editorial director of Sabor.Club magazine

Scores were weighted 50% to the technical jury and 50% to the public. The three best flavours were:

• Làcrima Greca com Pistacchio by Gustavo Franceschini of Mio Sogno di Gelato
• Gelato di Carrara by Diogo Paiuta of Icy Gelato
• Carimbò by Armando Laiun of Sorveteria Cairu

These three will join the three picked in 2018 and one more to be chosen in 2020, all competing for two of the 34 places at the Gelato Festival World Masters in 2021.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

A 60 kg shift in 30 minutes shows how important a reliable batch freezer and a well-balanced mix are. Majors Group supplies Carpigiani gelato machines and, through Carpigiani Gelato University, the training to get the most from them.

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