After four years of auditions, more than 3,500 participants and hundreds of events, the 34 best gelato artisans in the world went to Las Vegas for the Grand Finale of Gelato Festival World Masters, the leading international competition for individual artisan gelato makers. Carpigiani and SIGEP World by Italian Exhibition Group were strategic partners.
About the Final
The Final was organised in collaboration with ICE, the Italian Trade Agency, and ran from March 24 to 26 at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas, a global reference event for innovation and networking in the pizza industry. It was the culmination of a journey that began in 2022 and drew more than 3,500 gelato makers through hundreds of selection events across four continents. Gelato Festival organised the event, with Carpigiani, SIGEP World and Gelato World Tour as strategic partners, the International Pizza Expo & Conference as official host, and ISA as brand sponsor.
The finalists and their flavours
Listed alphabetically by country:
Argentina
- Emanuel Ratari, Heladería Lilo’s, Pergamino: “Café Blanco con Mandarinas”
Belgium
- Fabio Marasti, La Gourmand’Ice, Verviers: “Nessun Dorma”
- Christian Wu, Gelateria Giotto, Ixelles: “Il Bosco dei Cento Acri”
Brazil
- Guilherme Geraldini Pereira, Biju Mani, São Francisco (SP): “Appia”
- Aline Vieira, Flor do Ingá, Maringá (PR): “Doce Encontro”
China
- Jiang Jie, Peiking Gelato, Beijing: “Citrus and Sage Reverie”
Chinese Taipei
- Wei-Chun Hung, The Happiness Shop, Changhua: “Formosa Mont Blanc Gelato”
Czech Republic
- Jakub Gavor, Ještě jednu, Brno: “Bacio Cake”
- Lukáš Pohnán, Zmrzlina Senomaty, Senomaty: “Tarte Tatin”
Germany
- Rino Bernardi, Gran Café by Rino, Ochsenhausen: “Red King”
- Thomas Micolino, Eiscafé by Rino, Rottenburg am Neckar: “Kamelatte”
- Enrico Piccin, Artigiani Eisdiele, Berlin: “Mediterraneo”
Greece
- Dimitrios Charalampous, Gelato Palladio, Rhodes: “Yoghurt Orange”
- Charalampos Marantidis, Marantidis, Kavala: “Exotic Greek Cheese”
Hungary
- Janos Somodi, Florida Fagyizó, Balatonmáriafürdő: “Torta della nonna”
- Dávid Wilheim, DaCrema Fagyizó, Nagykanizsa: “Il re del Piemonte”
Italy
- Danilo Cinelli, Delizie Bolognesi, Bologna: “Bora Bora”
- Salvatore Ravese, Garden Gelateria, Gioia Tauro (RC): “Bacio dei due Mari”
- Elisabeth Stolz, Osteria Hubenbauer, Varna (BZ): “I tesori delle nostre montagne”
- Guido Zandonà, Gelateria Ciokkolatte – Il Gelato Che Meriti, Padua: “Caramello salato al burro”
Kuwait
- Fatemah Ben Salamah, MAMA•C Cups&Cones, Jabriya: “Darabeel”
- Maryam Pirasteh, Ashburn, Kuwait City: “Passion Fruits”
Mexico
- Juan Antonio Coyoli Maciel, Super Creamy, Mexico City: “Lisi”
Netherlands
- Kees Baars, IJssalon IJsie Prima, Callantsoog: “Seaside Delight”
- Stefan Beerens, Kennis van IJs, Duizel: “Imagi”
Norway
- Giovannino Fittipaldi, Gelatiamo, Hamar: “S´Aranzata”
Poland
- Wioletta Gbiorczyk, Lodziarnia Mleczna, Radom: “Biscotto alla mandorla”
- Tomasz Szypula, Lody Szypula 1974, Racibórz: “HYĆKA – Fiori e frutti di sambuco”
Spain
- Carlo Guerriero, La Cremeria Gelato Italiano, Cádiz: “Sherrymisu³”
- Alfredo José Marrero Páez, Menester, Puerto de la Cruz: “Origén cacao”
- Bernardo Vicente Schenoni Siberta, Deleite Heladería Artesanal, Madrid: “Capricho Persa”
Switzerland
- Massimiliano Lanzafame, Maxsimo-Gelateria Naturale, Düdingen: “Dedicato a te”
United States of America
- Maria Liliana Biondo, uGOgelato, Cincinnati (OH): “MandorLAND”
- Francia Magsaysay, Francy’s Artisanal Ice Cream, Bergenfield (NJ): “Passion Fruit, Yuzu and White Chocolate”
Seventeen years of Gelato Festival
With the 2022 to 2026 edition, the event marked its seventeenth year. It debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the first gelato recipe, created by architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It then spread across Italy and Europe, reached the United States in 2017, and went global with the World Masters championship, whose 2017 to 2021 edition involved over 3,500 gelato makers.
What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand
Competitions like this show how far a great recipe and the right equipment can go. Majors Group, the official Carpigiani distributor in New Zealand, supplies artisan gelato machines, ISA gelato cabinets and training through Carpigiani Gelato University.
Carpigiani in New Zealand — Majors Group
Majors Group is the official Carpigiani distributor in New Zealand: machines, Rubicone ingredients, ISA cabinets, Techfrost blast freezers, packaging, Carpigiani Gelato University training, finance and local service.
Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for New Zealand by Majors Group.
