Eleven national teams competed at Sigep over the course of three days, Jan. 20-22, 2024, between gelato, pastry, chocolate, ice sculpting and cooking trials. The final verdict saw Italy on the top step of the podium: the Italian team won the Gelato World Cup.

In the Gelato Arena at Sigep these days, it was all about amazing creations, especially when it was the turn of the truly enchanting ice and chocolate sculptures. But the tests of the 10th Gelato World Cup included not only creative skills but also technical ones.

How exactly 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 four competitors and a team manager. Competing for Italy were Domenico Di Clemente (ice sculpture specialist), Filippo Valsecchi (chef), Rosario Nicodemo (gelato maker), Vincenzo Donnarumma (pastry chef) and team manager Davide Malizia.

Ten tests, timed, were to be faced, from matching two ingredients drawn at random to create the "perfect" gelato (Italy drew white peach and Dulcey chocolate) to creating a single-portion, from decorated tub to ice cream cake. Judging was done by two juries: the artistic jury, which evaluated the decorative/aesthetic aspect of the various trials, and the technical jury, which was more oriented toward judging the taste of the entries.

At the close of the "games," the two juries decreed Italy as the winning team of the Gelato World Cup, followed by South Korea and Hungary.