The Carpigiani Challenge made its Toronto stop on 3 and 4 October 2019, with 17 chefs entering two of the sweetest competitions of the year. The results were announced on 7 October from Mississauga.

The winning flavours

In the gelato category, the top flavour was “Cheese Board Gelato” by Kaya Ogruce of Death in Venice in Toronto. It takes its cue from the cheese boards served in trendy wine bars, combining pears poached in Marsala wine with Brie, walnuts and Saskatoon berry jam.

The ice cream category went to “Pumpkin” by Mark Johnson and Rebecca Jones of Ed’s Real Scoop in Toronto. It is a rich, seasonal pumpkin ice cream built on their grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe.

What the winners earn

• Ice cream winners: an invitation to the American Ice Cream Final, a special event planned for New York City in 2021 to celebrate the American style of ice cream. Judges score flavour, creativity, structure and consistency, looking at ingredient choice, recipe craftsmanship and mouthfeel.
• Gelato winners: a place in the American Finale of Gelato Festival America, scheduled for 2020, with a chance to represent North America at the 2021 World Final. Judges score flavour, structure, creativity and presentation, including the visual impact of the gelato.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

Competitions like this show how far a single well-built flavour can go, from the recipe through to the texture in the cabinet. If you are developing your own signature flavours, a Carpigiani batch freezer gives you the control to get structure right, and Rubicone ingredients are a good place to start building a flavour range. For hands-on technique, see training through Carpigiani Gelato University with Majors Group.

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