Gelato Festival World Masters, the main category tournament with partners Carpigiani and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group, has finally found its final UK Finalist! On November 14th, at the Carpigiani UK Head Office in Hereford, 7 gelato chefs from England and Wales brought their signature flavours to the third competition of the year organized by Carpigiani UK.

The winner of the competition was:

•    Daniele Panunzio of Panunzio’s Kitchen Gelati Italiani in Bristol with the flavour “Montebianco”
o    Description: a gelato inspired by his favourite childhood treat, with White Lake goat’s cheese, caramelised salted pecans, and fresh raspberry sauce

The Bristolian gelato maker will advance to the European Finals scheduled for 2025 in Italy where he will compete with gelato chefs from all of Europe, including the other two UK finalists. Taste, structure, creativity and presentation were 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 (full list of participants below).

Given the high quality of the flavours in the competition, the jury decided to award a special mention to:

•    Giorgio Lo Monte of Filippo’s Gelateria in Warwick with the flavour “November Rain”
Description: a completely home-made mascarpone gelato variegated with spiced pear compote, cinnamon sponge Savoiardi soaked with coffee and Marsala liqueur

The jury was composed of:
•    Lauren Evans – Managing Director at Fablas Ice Cream
•    Claire Bosi – Editor at Chef & Restaurant Magazine, The Craft Guild, and The Pastry Section
•    Gary Ingram – Owner & Consultant, Ingram’s Cold Concepts

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, 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
UK Challenge
November 14, 2024
Carpigiani UK Head Office
Hereford

WINNER

• Daniele Panunzio of Panunzio’s Kitchen Gelati Italiani in Bristol with the flavour “Montebianco”

Other participants:

• Giorgio Lo Monte of Filippo’s Gelateria in Warwick with the flavour “November Rain”
• Lindsey Gravestock of Hoorays Gelato Kitchen in Stratford-upon-Avon with the flavour “Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake”
• Antonio De Vecchi of Gelato Village in Leicester with the flavour “Ricotta, Lemon and Coffee”
• Akram Alabed of Alfonso Gelateria in Witney with the flavour “Tahini Date Molasses”
• Sammi Rogers of Aran Hufen Ia Ice Cream in Bala with the flavour “Honeycomb Crunch”
• Zoe Glanville of Surfing Cow Gelato in Plymouth with the flavour “Masala Chai”