Gelato Festival World Masters marked its 50th stop at Sigep in Rimini on 21 January 2024, and the podium of the European and Middle East Challenge went to France and Switzerland.

The 50th stop

After 49 stops in 18 months, the championship, run with partners Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group for 2022-2025, held its European & Middle East Challenge at the 45th Sigep, the international exhibition of artisanal gelato, confectionery, bakery and coffee. Fourteen gelato makers from Austria, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Estonia, the UK and Egypt took part. They were judged on taste, texture, creativity and presentation, focusing on ingredient choice, recipe quality and visual impact.

The winners

• First place: Sacha Copigneaux of Sacha Glace, Marseille (France), with “Néroli”: orange blossom water gelato with pistachio pieces and sauce.
• Second place: Noah Bühler of Gelatissimo Gmbh, Hinteregg (Switzerland), with “Dalla natura per la natura”: fior di latte gelato with figs and black tea, and roasted walnuts.
• Third place: Julie Flaven of Flazzi, Forcalquier (France), with “La Flazzita”: ricotta gelato with pistachios and roasted almonds, Corsican clementine gelatin and orange zest.

The three will compete in their regional semifinals in 2025. The jury was made up of master gelato makers Andrea Soban, Ciro Chiummo and Vincenzo Pennestrì.

The other participants

• Dubravka Maestro, Eis Maestro, Vienna (Austria): “Arhuaco Harmony”, an 82% organic gelato with chocolate, raspberry and raspberry crisp
• Josef Eisl, Eisl Eis, Abersee (Austria): “Lime – Curd – Blackberry”
• Celal Karaarsalan, Alpz Gelato & Cafe, Salzburg (Austria): “L’esperienza Piccola”, a gelato made with hazelnuts grown in his own country, covered in rosemary dark chocolate and cinnamon white chocolate, served with handmade waffles
• Marco Guidi, Gelateria Arnaldo, Martigues (France): “Mariage des Noix”, a Sorrento walnut sorbet with candied pears, pear crumble and Provence honey
• Karim Rahal, Glacier Aurile, Mouans-Sartoux (France): “Gelato Provençale”, an orange blossom gelato with walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and raisins
• Nelson Da Costa, Sao Gelados, Olhão, Algarve (Portugal): “Con Una Rosa”, with raspberry, rose infusion and almond
• Manuela Carabina, Fragoleto, Lisbon (Portugal): “Alentejano”, inspired by two Alentejo specialities, with goat’s cheese, candied plums and crunchy pistachio cream
• Kaire Saan, Gelato Ladies, Tallinn (Estonia): “Pear and Ginger Duet”, a sweet pear sorbet with a gentle ginger spice
• Diego Alfonso Celis, Bertotti Gelato, London (UK): “Colombian Coffee and Bronte Pistachio”, with Mount Etna pistachio spiced with Persian saffron
• Noha Benis, Fresco Gelateria, Alexandria (Egypt): “Thousand and One Nights”, with Mejdoul date, milk and roasted almonds
• Ramiz Huseynov, Ramelleeis, Vienna (Austria): “Joghurt-Maracuja”, a yoghurt and passionfruit gelato

About Gelato Festival

Gelato Festival was born 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 80 festivals, before the 2021 Gelato Festival World Masters went global. That edition ended in December 2021 with a win for Adam Fazekas of Budapest and a record 3,500 gelato makers judged by international juries.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

Sigep is where gelato trends are set, and Majors Group helps bring them home. Explore Carpigiani gelato machines and Rubicone ingredients, or learn the craft at Carpigiani Gelato University in New Zealand.

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