The
2018 Gelato Festival Santa Barbara Winners
By FBWorld Team
Local
Santa Barbara travel, food, lifestyle writers Bonnie Carroll
(who was also a judge for the 2017 competition), Michael Cervin
and Richard Mineards were among the panel of nine jury judges
to select the winners for the Gelato Fesitval America Santa
Barbara winners. Judging was based on presentation, flavor,
structure and creativity. Competitors were introduced prior
to the judging to share details on their entree and answer questions.
Additional judges included Mark Longo, Annette Moore, Jeanne
Fialello, Currie Mitchel, Amber Wilson and Christina Conte.
Filippo Cianciosi, Gelato Love
The
2018 Gelato Festival Santa Barbara Winners
were:
Blueberry Basil, Mike Guerriero of Gelotti Essex in Caldwell,
New Jersey; Second Place: La Dolce Vita by Filippo Cianciosi,
Gelato Love in Carlsbad, California; Third Place: The SoCal
Sunrise by Savannah G. Lee, Fiasco Gelato in Millbrae, California.
Daniele Palazzoni, Gelato Festival America Director was Emcee
and assisted with award presentations.
Now in its second year, Gelato Festival America celebrated their
second Santa Barbara edition this weekend at La Cumbre Plaza.
The mission of Gelato Festival America is to spread the culture
of artisanal Italian gelato throughout the United States by
their visits to seven cities this summer.
Mike
Guerriero from Gelotti Essex in Caldwell, New Jersey won 1st
place and is the first American to take first prize at Gelato
Festival. Other prizewinners included three residents of California:
Noel Knecht of Black Dog Gelato in San Clemente, Savannah G.
Lee of Savannah's Gelato Kitchen in Millbrae and Filippo Cianciosi
of Gelato Love in Carlsbad. An honorary mention and peoples
choice award was given to Marilyn Way, a resident of Calgary,
Alberta, Canada.
Winners: 1st Mike Guerriero, 2nd Filippo Cianciosi, 3rd Savannah
G. Lee
Mike
Guerriero is the first American to win this prize and he is
now eligible to compete in the North American Semi-Finals in
2019 for a chance to be one of three to represent America at
the Gelato Festival World Masters in 2021 in Italy. His gold
medal, presented by ISA, was created by Florentine Goldsmith
Paolo Penko. "Guerriero said he was very excited to win
the 1st place gold medal and looked forward to competing again
to make it to Italy in 2021." This New Jersey blueberry,
with the perfect amount of genovese basil puree and lemon juice
was my favorite and was one delicious gelato!
Jury Panel Gelato Festival Santa Barbara
The
Technical Jury prize was awarded to Noel Knecht, Black Dog Gelato
in San Clemente, CA and the Popular Jury Award was presented
to Marilyn Way of Calgary, Alberta, Canada by the general public
for best flavor and she also picked up the Speed Cup Race by
ISA for using a spatula quickly to fill cups the Italian way.
I loved the clean and simple taste of this delicious gelato.
Carpigiani Gelato University, the festival sponsor that runs
classes about the art of preparing gelato for all the stages,
presented this award. The kids jury selected Savannah G. Lee's
gelato a special mention. Mike Guerriero won the Gela-to-go
Award for selling the most gelato during the festival.
SoCal Sunrise by Savannah G. Lee
Held
in collaboration with strategic partners Carpigiani Gelato University,
Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University and Sigep - Italian Exhibition
Group, Main Sponsor PreGel and WhyGelato.com, and Official Technical
Sponsor ISA, the Gelato Festival America 2018 generates the
first entrants into the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021,
the challenge for the best artisan gelato chefs on the planet.
The winning gelato chefs selected at each stage of the Gelato
Festival America 2018 will win the right to continue the challenge
towards the semi-finals and ultimately the final - it's the
World Cup of gelato, a journey with hundreds of trials over
four years on five continents!
The
Gelato Festival made its debut in Florence in 2010 inspired
by the idea of _the first gelato recipe by the architect Bernardo
Buontalenti in 1559. Since then, the Gelato Festival has expanded
its borders, beginning in Italy, then spreading throughout Europe
and finally to the United States in 2017 - A total of 64 festivals,
preparing the whole planet for the world championship of the
Gelato Festival World Masters 2021. For upcoming event information
visit www.gelatofestivalamerica.com.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.