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AUSTIN IS THE GELATO CAPITAL OF AMERICA!
The Gelato World Tour brings the best flavours in the spotlight:
on May 9th – 11th in Republic Square the public can taste and vote for
the Best Gelato of North and South America
Austin, TX, March 13th 2014: After taking Italy, Spain, Oceania and Middle East by storm, the Gelato
World Tour, a celebration of the artisan iced treat enjoyed worldwide as an healthy and mouth-watering
food, is flying to Austin (TX). It’s the first time in the history that a competition of its kind is held in America.
On May 9th – 11th, visitors of Republic Square are invited to enjoy lessons and workshops on the ancient
art of making gelato. They could also explore a rich history that goes back thousands of years, and
choose from a multitude of fresh varieties made right in front of their eyes. With free admission for the
public, the tour’s showpiece event pits 16 renowned gelato artisans from North and South America against
each other, as they compete to create the world’s best flavour. It will be the coolest championship ever!
The event, that got the patronage of the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of the Economic
Development, has been organized by the prestigious Carpigiani Gelato University, which has 13 schools
in the five continents, and Sigep-Rimini Fiera, the world’s premier expo in artisan food; main partners, two
Italian leading companies in the gelato sector, IFI and MEC3.
Thanks to the old and strong bond between Italy and United States, all the “Made in Italy” gathers
together for the very first time to celebrate one of the world's most renowned delicacies: the
artisan gelato. The objective is to transmit to a global public the culture of this fresh, high-quality
food that represents the skill and creativity of thousands of gelato artisans.
Gelato has got a long tradition in Italy, with 37,000 shops (for 60M inhabitants) – and even an entire
Gelato Museum in Bologna – dedicated to this healthy food. But United States are the one of the most
important countries in the World for this treat, hosting more than 2,000 gelato shops.
The Gelato World Tour represents an opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs in America to join
a market rapidly making inroads into the global ice cream industry, which is worth tens of billions of US
dollars worldwide.
The aim of the event in Republic Square is to bring this culture to the United States and to the entire
Americas more widely. Artisan gelato is made with seasonal, local and high-quality ingredients; it
contains less air than the industrial ice cream and it is served at a higher temperature. Therefore its taste
is stronger but lower in calories and fat, reason why it’s the right choice for health conscious food-lovers.
The Gelato World Tour 2013-14 is due to visit eight cities in five continents. Four successful events have
already attracted hundreds of thousands of people in Rome, Valencia, Melbourne and Dubai, that became
gelato capitals contributing to highlighting artisans and local products.
At each stage of the tour, gelato artisans compete to produce the most delicious flavours – voted on by
the public, a technical jury and the gelato artisans competing. The “Gran Finale” in Rimini, Italy, will award
the title of “World’s Best Gelato”.
In Austin sixteen gelato chefs coming from North and South America will participate with one special
flavor each. The gelato will be produced daily using high-quality ingredients selected by MEC3, in work
areas visible to the public and equipped with Carpigiani’s latest machines and served in IFI’s newer
display cases, among which Bellevue, an innovative summary between “pozzetti” and windows.
Visitors to the Gelato World Tour Village will participate in short lessons in the art of gelato taught by
instructors from Carpigiani Gelato University and how to open a new gelato shop (by IFI) and will see
gelato produced right in front of their eyes, and will taste the fresh gelato by purchasing the Gelato Ticket.
Other activities include meetings about gelato trends, gastronomic workshops, and skill challenges
between professional Gelato Chefs.
The public, by voting for the favourite flavour, could win prizes with the “Taste & Win” competition and
become “Gelato Artisan for a day”. The Tonda Challenge, in which participants must prepare two “perfect
cups” weighing 60 grams, will continue for the competitors. Visitors can also participate in the photocontest “Gelato Pixel Passion, cool flavours and emotions… on film!” and win a course at the
Carpigiani Gelato University. The participation is dedicated to students between 18 and 35 years old.
They can unleash your creativity, take a picture that expresses their vision of gelato and the sensations it
triggers. Anyway, everybody can take a picture and publish it on Instagram adding the tag
@Carpigiani1946 and the hashtag #GelatoPixelPassion. Any pictures that are liked by many followers will
be considered for participation in the contest. www.fondazionecarpigiani.it
It is possible to follow the stages of Gelato World Tour on the NEW WEBSITE www.gelatoworldtour.com and the
social pages: Facebook – Gelato World Tour; Twitter – Gelato World Tour; Flick – Gelato World Tour; Instagram –
Gwt_2013; Hashtag: #gelatoworldtour.
For more information:
Valentina Righi - Communication Manager & PR Carpigiani Group - valentinarighi@carpigiani.it