3rd Grand Prix 2020

The 3rd Gelatissimo Grand Prix come to an end; this five-day competition is the highly anticipated event that for six years has been held in conjunction with the Gelatissimo fair, organized by our magazine in collaboration with the Stuttgart Fair as part of "Intergastra", (International Food Exhibition). The third edition of the Gelatissimo Grand Prix went far beyond the most optimistic expectations. The original formula of the competition, planned and tested in many editions throughout Europe to ensure maximum transparency in the assignment of awards and prizes, was once again appreciated and attracted over three hundred competitors, coming from the different "Land" in Germany, and beyond. Five competitions were scheduled to be held over five days from 15 to 19 of February where the winners would be awarded the three brand new Piaggio Vespas, as well as the Gelatissimo Cup and the newly created Intercoppa, which awarded a fantastic Caribbean cruise to the winner.

A large audience followed with curiosity, from the early hours, the different phases of the competitions, from the freezing to the verdict of the jury.

After freezing, the samples presented on the various days were submitted anonymously to a specialized pre-jury who identified the best five of each flavor that were subsequently evaluated and voted in front of the same competitors. The juries, different for each day of competition, decided the winners of each category.

Danilo Sebastianelli, winner of the best Hazelnut gelato

Antonio Saccardo, winner of the best Yogurt gelato

Sören Pollich, winner of the best Strawberry gelato

The first day was dedicated to the production of Hazelnut ice cream; the winner over the more than 100 ice cream makers (all first-time participants), was Danilo Sebastianelli from Ascheim (Munich) - Eisdiele La Piazza - who won the prize: a beautiful green Vespa.

The second day saw the participation of just under 100 competitors for the best yogurt flavor and the winner was Antonio Saccardo who participated with Fabio Bernarda for the Gelateria La Gondola of Hanover, winning the beautiful white Vespa.

To further enrich the value of the competition, there was a lovely Demo on Alcoholic Ice Cream, organized by the magazine in collaboration with the Artigeniale school of Rovigo.

The third day of competition saw a welcomed confirmation of Soren Pollich, owner of the Gelateria Eismanifaktur Postdam (Berlin), named winner in the 2018 edition with the best Raspberry ice cream, in this edition he won once again and was awarded the brand new red Vespa with the best Strawberry ice cream, beating a hundred of his colleagues. Further confirmation came from Gelati Conte from Friedrichshafen who, after winning the 2016 Gelatissimo Cup and reaching the final in 2018, came within a few points of first place again this year. "Despite the succession of different tastes and jurors over the years, the great ice cream makers continue to achieve impressive results, and this is further proof of the seriousness of the event", commented Fabio Spaterna, Director of the competition.

A particularly appreciated moment of the third day was also the participation of Filippo Zampieron who, with Federico Maronati, addressed the topic of Vanilla ice cream.

The fourth day had the three winners of the first three days of competition, compete for the best Mango ice cream, which was to be awarded the third Gelatissimo Cup. Interspersed with a highly appreciated lesson by Giorgio Ballabeni (Ballabeni Ice Cream Munich), precisely on the topic of Mango ice cream, the final had Saccardo from Hannover crowned as the winner.

1st Classified: Antonio Saccardo - 2nd Classified: Danilo Sebastianelli - 3rd Classified: Sören Pollich

The last day was dedicated to the new Intercoppa race, created to celebrate the finalists of all editions of the Gelatissimo Grand Prix, open to the best fifteen ice cream makers of the 2020 competition and to the finalists of the 2016 and 2018 editions. With the theme of Gelato and Beer, the competition was reserved for 40 expert ice cream makers challenged to win the First Intercoppa and the Caribbean cruise. Franco Barletta from Berlin won this important award.

“The important results obtained so far stimulate us to work even harder for the further growth of the competition. The goal is to double in the next two editions the already significant number of ice cream makers currently participating in the Grand Prix. The enormous organizational effort was amply rewarded by the positive impact that the event has on the Gelatissimo exhibitors: also, for this reason the competition which will be held from 5 to 9 February 2022, will have as one of the many prizes, a fantastic Fiat 500", commented Marco Levati, organizer of the event.

Franco Barletta, winner of Intercoppa and the Caribbean cruise