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GELATO WORLD TOUR, FIRST STAGE AT THE STARTING BLOCKS

On May 3-5 Rome will become the world Capital of artisan gelato, followed by Valencia, Chicago, Dubai, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Sydney and Berlin

Here’s the list of the 16 artisans who will compete, the exciting previews, the schedules for the free courses and gelato workshops and other delicious temptations

Rome, 23 April 2013 – The sweet challenge is at the starting blocks. In Rome, 3-5 May 2013, the Gelato World Tour 2013-2014 will kick off, an event organized by Carpigiani Gelato University and Sigep (with principal partners IFI and MEC3, and technical partner Cono Roma). The objective: transmit to a global public the culture of this fresh, high-quality food that represents the excellence and creativity of thousands of gelato artisans.

Eight cities on the five continents will become gelato capitals: that good, genuine, nutritious food, presented in hundreds of flavors. Rome, Valencia, Chicago, Dubai, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Berlin will welcome thousands of people to their public squares and will contribute to highlighting artisans and local products. Sixteen gelato artisans will be selected for each leg and they will compete with flavors that combine tradition with innovation, bringing out the flavors of the best ingredients. The gelato will be produced daily using high-quality ingredients selected by MEC3 (the world’s leading producer of ingredients for artisan gelato and pastry) in work areas visible to the public and equipped with Carpigiani’s latest machines and served in IFI display cases featuring innovative hermetic seals. Visitors to the Gelato World Tour Village will participate in short lessons on the art of gelato taught by instructors from Carpigiani Gelato University, will see gelato produced right in front of their eyes, and will taste the fresh gelato by purchasing the Gelato Pass. Other activities include meetings on gelato trends, gastronomic workshops, and skilled challenges between professional gelato artisans. With the Gelato Pass visitors become judges of the competition, voting for their favorite flavors and participating in the “Taste & Win” competition, featuring prizes of an iPod Nano and iPad 4. The Gelato Museum will present fun and educational workshops for children and will provide the chance to discover the history of gelato, from 12,000 BC to today.

The first challenge will be held at the Pincian Terrace in Rome, capital of Italy and of artisan gelato tradition. Each gelato artisan will present their single best flavor. The final standings will be calculated based on the votes of the public and a professional jury. The top three will represent Italy at the Grand Finale of the Gelato World Tour, to be held in September 2014 in Rimini, where the global winners chosen by the public and experts will compete for the title of World’s Best Gelato Artisan.

Important events

Friday, May 3, 10:00 pm. The Gelato World Tour Village will host the world preview of the documentary Gelato Is Magic, about the magical world of artisan gelato. Participating in the preview will be the film’s director Wolfgang Achtner, documentarian, television correspondent and producer, author, and instructor of television journalism.

Saturday, May 4, 4:30 pm. The journalist and author Luciana Polliotti will present the Gelato Museum catalog, a volume published by Editrade that includes 14,000 years of history as told by the museum which was inaugurated at Carpigiani headquarters in Anzola dell’Emilia (Bologna) in September 2012.

Sunday, May 5, 12:30 pm. Master gelato artisan Sergio Colalucci will present the Gastronomic Gelato workshop “Future Trends.” Participants will taste savory gelato and will learn more about this developing area. Also present will be the journalist and author Luciana Polliotti; Alfredo Tesio and Rossend Domenech of the Foreign Press in Italy Association; and Eleonora Cozzella, journalist from l’Espresso. At 3:30 pm the winner of the World’s Best Gelato Artisan (Stage 1) will be announced, emceed by Luciana Polliotti accompanied by members of the technical jury and organizers of the Gelato World Tour.

Following is the list of 16 artisans and their flavors:

Vito Carmine Calogero, Gelateria Bella Blu (Polignano, BA)– Flavor: Four Seasons Almond

Maria Annunziata Carbè, Pasticceria Gelateria 2000 (Ellera Umbra, PG)– Flavor: Signature Gelato

Marco Ciampini, Ciampini (Rome)– Flavor: Truffle

Enzo Crivella, Kriò gelatocaffè (Salerno) – Flavor: Bread and Jam

Giuseppe Cuti, Al gelatone (Palermo) – Flavor: Zammù

Raffaele Del Verme, Di Matteo (Torchiara, SA) – Flavor: Figs in Chocolate

Giuseppe Lancierini, Gelateria Fiore (Suzzara, MN) – Flavor: Pistachio

Francesco Mastroianni, Il Cantagalli (Lamezia Terme, CZ)– Flavor: Grumpy Heart

Antonio Mezzalira, Golosi di natura (Gazzo Padovano, PD)– Flavor: Patavino

Emanuele Montana, Retrò (Rome)– Flavor: Orange Delight

Santo Musumeci, Gelateria Santo Musumeci (Randazzo, CT)– Flavor: Green Gold of Sicily

Mauro Serani, Gelateria Bruno.com (Antrodoco, RI) – Flavor: Apple Cake

Luigi Tirabassi, Gelato e Cioccolato (Subiaco,RM)– Flavor: Grand Marnier Cream and Orange Marmalade

Francesco Dioletta, Gelateria Duomo (L’Aquila)– Flavor: Aquila Flavors

Antonio Ravese, Paradise (Gioia Tauro, RC) – Flavor: Paradise

Fardin Khosravi, S. M. Maggiore (Rome)– Flavor: Dark Chocolate

The technical jury for the first stage of the Gelato World Tour chose from numerous candidates. Luca Caviezel, considered Italy’s top gelato artisan; Roberto Lobrano, gelato and marketing instructor at various schools in Italy and abroad; Alberto Pica, president of the Association of Italian Gelato Artisans, gelato artisan and owner of the renowned Antica Gelateria Alberto Pica in Rome; Luciana Polliotti, journalist and artisan gelato historian; and Franco Cesare Puglisi, editorial director of the gelato magazine Punto It. The jury autonomously chose the competing artisans based on the following criteria: creativity of the proposed flavor, reputation, years of activity, professional training, and production philosophy.

Various suppliers of products for gelato artisans will add their Italian products and culture to the festival.

It is possible to follow the stages of the Gelato World Tour by visiting the website as well as the pages created in Facebook and Twitter, already fanned and followed by hundreds of people.