Gelato Festival World Masters, the main category tournament with partners Carpigiani and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group, is on its new journey around the globe for the searching for the world’s best gelato. On May 11 it arrived for the first time ever in Kuwait where, at the Millennium Hotel and Convention Centre Kuwait, 10 gelato makers took part in the sweetest competition of the year organized by Carpigiani’s distributor Mabrook Hotel Supplies Company.

The 3 winning gelato artisans and the best gelato artisans in Kuwait for 2023 are:

First place
Fatemah Ben Salamah of MAMA•C Cups&Cones in Jabriya, Kuwait City with the flavor “Darabeel”
Description: This Gelato is made from scratch 100% and all natural ingredients. And the flavor is named after a purely Kuwaiti Dessert darabeel which is usually eating it by duncked in cardamom milk, saffaron, cinnamon, rose water. Fresh milk and cream.

Second place
Maryam Pirasteh of Baix Pastry in Kuwait City with the flavor “Passion Fruits” Description: Sugar free passion fruits gelato

Third place
Fatima Buhamad of Ice and Ice in Kuwait City with the flavor “Vanilla Gelato with chewy caramel and Dulcy blonde”
Description: Vanilla Gelato with chewy caramel and Dulcy blonde

The selected gelato artisans will advance to the Middle East Finals of Gelato Festival World Masters scheduled for 2025. Flavor, structure, creativity and presentation are the four parameters used for the evaluation, highlighting the choice of ingredients, the craftsmanship in elaborating the recipe and the visual impact of the gelato (see below the full list of participants). 

The jury was composed of: 
- Karim Bourgi, Executive Pastry Chef – Owner of Kayu Bakehouse
- Ziad Hilal, Corporate Executive Chef BFC Group
- Samer Zakka, Director of Operations Argan Albidaa – Hotel & Resort

Gelato Festival debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the creation of the first gelato recipe by the versatile architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. Since then, the event has expanded its borders, first to the rest of Italy, then to Europe and – starting in 2017 – the United States, with a total of 80 Festivals held, before embracing the entire planet with the world championship of Gelato Festival World Masters 2021, which concluded in December 2021 - with the victory of Adam Fazekas from Budapest - and saw a record of 3,500 gelato artisans judged by international juries. 

GELATO FESTIVAL WORLD MASTERS 
Kuwait Challenge 
May 11, 2023
Kuwait City – Millennium Hotel and Convention Centre
Carpigiani distributor: Mabrook

WINNERS

•    First place: Fatemah Ben Salamah of MAMA•C Cups&Cones in Jabriya, Kuwait City with the flavor “Darabeel”

•    Second place: Maryam Pirasteh of Baix Pastry in Kuwait City with the flavor “Passion Fruits”

•    Third place: Fatima Buhamad of Ice and Ice in Kuwait City with the flavor “Vanilla Gelato with chewy caramel and Dulcy blonde”

List of the other participants

•    Lamees Al-Dakheel of Zahr Kitchen Center in Faiha-Kuwait with the flavor “Figue à la Carlton”
•    Christian Panis of Frost Gelato in Al Assima in Kuwait City with the flavor “Bagigi”
•    Richard Beltran of Joy Confections in Kuwait with the flavor “Mix Berries Gelato”
•    Ali Dashti of Soho Bakery in Kuwait City with the flavor “Tonga bean and vanilla”
•    Mohammed Aldashti of Froyo in Jabryia, Kuwait with the flavor “Pistachio”
•    Amer Younes Khaleel Ghaben of Vita in Hawally, Kuwait with the flavor “Mascarpone”
•    Mohammed Soufiane of Marble Slab Ice Cream in Kuwait with the flavor “Caramelized Pecan Dragee”