After national and continental selections, 11 teams competed at Sigep over three days, from January 20 to 22, 2024, in tests of gelato making, pastry, chocolate making, ice sculpture, and cooking. The final verdict sees Italy on the highest step of the podium: the Italian team has won the Gelato World Cup.
The Italian Team
In the Gelato Arena at Sigep, these days have been filled with marvelous creations, especially when it came to ice and chocolate sculptures, truly enchanting. But the tests of the tenth edition of the Gelato World Cup required, in addition to creative skills, technical ones as well. How does the Gelato World Cup work? A maximum of fourteen teams are allowed - this year, 11 competed: Argentina, Brazil, China, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and Hungary – and each participating team consists of 4 competitors and a team manager. For Italy, the competitors were: Domenico Di Clemente (specialized in ice sculptures), Filippo Valsecchi (chef), Rosario Nicodemo (gelato maker), Vincenzo Donnarumma (pastry chef), and team manager Davide Malizia.
How the Gelato World Cup Works
Ten timed tests to face, from pairing two randomly chosen ingredients to create the "perfect" gelato (Italy drew white peach and Dulcey chocolate) to the creation of a single portion, from the decorated tub to the gelato cake. Judging is done by two juries: the artistic jury, which evaluated the decorative/aesthetic aspect of the various tests, and the technical jury, more focused on judging the taste of the creations. The judges were international, but the president of the Gelato World Cup was very Italian. Giancarlo Timballo - during the competition, even the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida was seen, who awarded a certificate to the gelato maker Timballo as an ambassador of the quality of Italian cuisine in the world – awarded with Three Cones in our Gelaterie d'Italia 2024 guide. At the end of the "games," the two juries declared Italy as the winning team of the Gelato World Cup, followed by South Korea and Hungary. The Italian team will receive merchandise prizes totaling €15,000.