Gelato Festival World Masters returned to Hungary for the third year in a row on its four-year competition calendar. Following the previous years’ Challenges, the third national stop was held in Budapest on March 5 during SIRHA Budapest - international trade show organized by Hungexpo - with 16 Hungarian gelato makers participating. The event was hosted by Bulfoni Bar & Gelato Design, Carpigiani distributor for Hungary. 
The jury decreed a ranking of 3 gelato makers selected to participate in the 2025 Hungarian Finals of Gelato Festival World Masters, the world championship organized with strategic partners Carpigiani and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group. Flavor, structure, creativity, and verbal and aesthetic presentation were the four parameters by which the artisanal gelatos were evaluated, promoting the choice of ingredients, the artisans' mastery in elaborating e communicating the recipe, and the overall result evaluated through sight, taste, and smell (see below for the full list of participants).

The 3 winning gelato artisans are:  
•    First place: Balázs Damniczki of Damniczki Cukraszda in Székesfehérvár with the flavor “Burrata alla Frutta”.
Description: Burrata cheese gelato with passion fruit and mango coulis and a crumble of lemon and almonds cookies
•    Second place: Éva Heléna Marsa of Vanília&Gelarto in Nagykoros with the flavor “Sikkes citromligetes pisztáciával”.
Descrizione: Citrus gelato made with Madagascar vanilla, layered with bergamot candied citrus variegated, enriched with piquant salty pistachio crunchy praline.
•    Third place: Balázs Baranyi of Hisztéria Cremeria in Budapest with the flavor "Passione per la Nocciola”.
Description: a creamy hazelnuts gelato with passion fruit
 
The jury consisted of: Árpád Szűcs, pastry chef at Four Seasons Hotel Budapest; József Juhos, pastry chef and founder of Sug’art; Sándor Fodor, pastry chef and winner of the contest “Hungary Cake”.

With the 2022-25 edition Gelato Festival World Masters reaches its thirteenth year, having debuted in Florence in 2010 inspired by the conception of the first gelato recipe at the hands of the multifaceted architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. Since then, the event has enlarged its boundaries by expanding first to the rest of Italy, then to Europe and - since 2017 - to the United States as well, before embracing the entire planet with the Gelato Festival World Masters world championship involving more than 3,500 gelato makers with the 2018-2021 edition.  

Gelato Festival World Masters 
Hungary Challenge 
March 5, 2024 
Budapest
Host: Bulfoni

OTHER PARTICIPANTS

•    Éva Lovász of Cloud9 in Budapest with the flavor “Körte – Dió – Sajt”;
•    Renato Barile of I Love Gelato in Budapest with the flavor “Come mi Piace”;
•    Attila Bartos of Nasi Fagylaltozó in Budapest with the flavor “Mákos Guba”; 
•    Andrea Koncz of Sissi Fagylalt in Balatonakarattya with the flavor “Bacio Ungherese”;
•    Attila Vikor of Vikor Kézműves Cukrászda in Tata with the flavor “Zanzibello”; 
•    Kristóf Sándor of Bécsi Kávéház és Cukrászda in Győr with the flavor "Poppy Love”;
•    Attila Pálfi of Vitorlás Fagyizó in Balatonmáriafürdő wih the flavor “Kesu”;
•    Virág Aida Wilheimné Agoudan of Pingvin Fagyizó & Cukrászda in Balatonmáriafürdő with the flavor “Mogyoró Mocca Mese”;
•    Balázs Papp of Mester Étterem, Cukrászda in Marcali with the flavor “Tojáslikőrös Diótorta”; 
•    Bettina Kerekes of Kiskerekes Cukrászda in Hajdúböszörmény with the flavor “L'Amore in un Gelato”;
•    Ferenc Eszenyi of Centrum Fagyizó in Balmazújváros with the flavor “Sáfrányos Vanilia Szeder-Birs Chutneyval”;
•    Szabolcs Csizmadia of Hóvirág Fagylaltbár in Orosháza with the flavor “Maci”;
•    Jenő Vadócz of Promenád Kávéház in Balatongyörök with the flavor “Macadáma”.