West Hollywood, CA (September 17, 2019) – Long known as a celebrity haven where fashion, art, and architecture effortlessly blends with dining and nightlife, West Hollywood’s Design District is adding another international marquee name to its roster with the widely acclaimed Gelato Festival. Set at the plaza of the Pacific Design Center on September 28 and 29, this will be the first LA-based stage and the final American round of culinary competitions in 2019 where the “coolest” chefs gather to impress both a professional tasting panel as well as thousands of fans who will vote for their favorite expression of Italy’s most famous frozen dessert.

The Gelato Festival will run from 11am until 7pm, with live entertainment and art complimented by an exhibition tent featuring some of LA’s finest restaurants to pair alongside the official competing flavors which include Mexican Chocolate with sweet mole and cacahuate, Strawberry Herbal Sorbet, Pineapple Butter Gelato, and Mangonada with chamoy sauce and tajin spices among many others. Tickets are available at gelatofestival.com with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Charity Partner Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles based charity that cooks and delivers over 600,000 nutritious meals each year, free of charge, to the homes of men, women, and children affected by life-threatening illnesses. Celebrating its 30th year in 2019, Project Angel Food has served over 12 million meals to more than 20,000 people.

About Italian gelato
In amazing, culturally rich cities like Florence and Rome, there is one treat sold on almost every corner — authentic Italian gelato. Tradition holds that gelato’s heritage dates all the way back to 1559, in the Italian Renaissance, when the Medici family commissioned famous artist and architect Bernardo Buontalenti to prepare an opulent feast for the visiting king of Spain. According to the story, Buontalenti created a new frozen dessert for the special occasion, made from a few simple ingredients such as milk, eggs and honey. And thus the first gelato was created, so Buontalenti is remembered as the inventor of this creamy Italian dessert. To discover more about the history of gelato visit Gelato Festival Flagship Store in West Hollywood or travel to the Gelato Museum (gelatomuseum.com) in Italy, Bologna.