Tomasz Szypula of Lodziarnia pod Orzechem in Baborów has won the Polish final of the Gelato Festival World Masters. His flavour, “Cud Miód Orzeski”, was judged the best of eight finalists.

The Polish final

The final took place on 8 July at the Gelato Museum in Italy, with the eight best gelato shops in Poland, selected through events over the previous four years. A technical jury scored the flavours live online:

• Gino Fabbri, pastry chef and coach of the team that won gold at the 2015 Pastry World Cup
• Santi Palazzolo, gelato master and pastry chef
• Matteo Berti, chef and director of education at ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine

Szypula’s winning gelato combines Greek yoghurt, honey and caramelised walnuts. He will represent Poland at the World Finals in Italy in December 2021.

A first: special mention for creativity

For the first time this year, the jury also awarded a special mention for creativity. It went to Paulina Pieczykolan of Bagietka in Kostrzyn, for “Rokitnika”, a fresh, tangy gelato made with sea buckthorn.

About the competition

The event is organised with Carpigiani Gelato University (20 campuses in 19 countries) and Sigep, the leading artisan gelato trade show, run by Italian Exhibition Group. In Italy, the second semi-final with 76 artisans was planned for September 2021, the Italian Final with 16 for October, and the World Finals for December. The Gelato Festival started in Florence in 2010, inspired by Bernardo Buontalenti’s 1559 gelato recipe, and has held 64 festivals across Italy, Europe and the United States.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

Unusual local ingredients like honey, walnuts and sea buckthorn show how a signature flavour sets a shop apart. For ideas and tools to build your own, explore Rubicone ingredients and the Carpigiani gelato machine range.

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