Gelato on tour

Stage after stage, Gelato Festival continues to thrill an expanding international public like never before.
The tour, organized in concert with strategic partners Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group, began in Florence last April and will conclude in September back in the Tuscan capital after having toured nine European cities. Participating in the challenge are 150 of the top gelato artisans carefully selected from thousands of candidates, each of them presenting his or her own specialty.

The final All Star challenge in September is sure to be bursting with emotions and exciting surprises, featuring the winners of all the previous editions of the festival, from 2010 to today. At the conclusion of the event, Gelato Festival will cross the Atlantic for the American edition, making eight stops between the West Coast and the East Coast.

As we await this exciting challenge, let’s take a look back at the events of the first months of the tour. Remember that the winners of each stage, together with the top eight finishers, will meet next year at the Carpigiani Day.

On that occasion it will be selected the best eight gelato artisans who will participate in the Italian semifinal to be held in Florence in 2020, the gateway to the final of the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021, the challenge for the title of best gelato artisan on the planet.
After three days of tastings in which the public tasted well over five tons of artisanal gelato, the first Florentine stage crowned the winner Ersilia Caboni with her Wild Mint, a fresh flavour made with artisanal fiordilatte gelato and minced pieces of the scented aromatic herb.
The Tonda Challenge presented by Ifi pitted gelato artisans against each other as they prepared the perfect 60 gram cup and was won by Teresa Pacheco, taking home the coveted Golden Scoop.

Then it was on to Rome, where first place was won by Andrea Pagnoni with his flavour Hawaii Salted Peanut. Here the Tonda Challenge was won by Veruska Cardellicchio. The special prize Gela-To Go went to Rosario Nicodemus, Guido Muraglie and Giorgio Carlo Bianchi for the flavour Raspberry Petals.
After Rome it was Turin’s turn, top honours going to the flavour Queen of the Langhe by the gelato artisan Marco Nicolino. The Tonda Challenge was won by Luca Rastello, and the Gela-To Go special prize was awarded to Stefania Valente with the flavour Gran Torino. The winner of the Milan stage was E-State al Verde (Green Summer).It was presented by the gelato artisan Alessandro Cross, who carefully selected an array of ingredients reflecting the colours of nature: cucumber,
lime, mint, and ginger. The Tonda Challenge was won by Delia Lopez, while the Gela-To Go special prize was awarded to Catia Giancola.
The Gelato Festival then crossed national boundaries to reach the next stage in Berlin. The German edition was won by Giuseppe Cimino with his Physalis and Avocado sorbet. In Poland the flavour “Breadfruit with jasmine rice and Kamchatka berries” by chefs Piotr &
Adam Lubocki conquered Warsaw.
The next stages of the tour will be held in London, and Vienna, and then will return to Italy for the finals.