Yang Mei
yangmei_szdaily@163.com
The opening ceremony of the Gelato World Tour (hereafter referred to as “GWT”) was held on Thursday evening at OCT Harbour which was attended by government officials and leaders of the sponsors including Madam Laura Egoli, Consul-General of Italy in Guangzhou, Chen Biao, Director of Promotion Division of Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Fang Yiling, Vice President of Shenzhen OCT Urban Entertainment Investment Company. The 16 gelato artisan teams from all China and the jury of Italian experts were all present at the event.
(Photo by Jane Chen)
“Gelato is one of Italy’s great gifts to the world.” the Consul-General said with pride in her speech. She continued, as Chinese people are increasingly concerned about healthy diet, “It’s therefore believed that Gelato will become more and more popular in China.” She also announced a piece of good news that a new Italian Visa Application Center has just opened in Futian District, Shenzhen, which makes it easier for locals to apply for a visa.
Mr. Yang Yang, president of Shanghai Nina Food Co., Ltd., expressed his gratitude to all for their support and efforts to this event and hoped GWT can bring the authentic Italian culture to China.
Other well-known gelato machine manufacturers and material suppliers such as Carpigiani and Pregel introduced their companies and wished this event a great success.
In this free cultural event which is open to the public, 16 top-rated gelato artisan teams from all China will tell their stories and present their unique flavour. Some of them are already award-winners, others have made gelato for many years, and still others are recommended by experts.
(Photo by Stephanie Yang)
One of the competitors surnamed Xu, who started learning making gelato two years ago, is a newcomer to GWT and therefore he said he was a little nervous. However, he was honoured to be here in Shenzhen learning from and sharing experiences with other excellent peers. “Although it’s my first time to participate in the competition, I think I am ready for the championship.” he told Shenzhen Daily with ambition.
GWT, the world's premiere cross-cultural artisanal gelato competition, will be held from Aug. 5 to 7 at OCT Harbour, Shenzhen, China for the first time during the Italian Gelato Culture Festival organized by Shanghai Nina Food with the partnership of Carpigiani Gelato University, Sigep Rimini Expo, PreGel, ISA, Ci Gusta, OCT Mall, Haier.
Gelato World Tour has already travelled to ten cities: Rome, Valencia, Melbourne, Dubai, Austin, Berlin, Rimini, Singapore, Tokyo and Chicago. In 2016, the international competition launched three local events: Italian Challenge, German Challenge and China Challenge.
Visitors will watch the artisans work in the Gelato Lab to create amazing sensory-shocking, taste bud tingling flavours and then taste those flavours. In this free cultural event which is open to the public, 16 gelato artisan teams from all China will tell their stories and present their unique flavours to the public and to a jury of experts and journalists, whose votes will be combined to award the best gelato flavour in China. Every Gelato-Tickets costs 60RMB and gives 6 tastings. The top flavour and artisan will represent China at the Grand Finale of Gelato World Tour to be held in Rimini, Italy in 2017.
Gelato, a common name of Italian traditional handmade ice cream, is regarded as the top grade ice cream in the world. It’s called the art of Italy. Gelato is made fresh daily with the highest quality ingredients, has less air than traditional ice cream and is served at a higher temperature, the flavours invigorate the palette while containing fewer calories and fat. This makes gelato the right choice for health-conscious foodies who appreciate the finest flavours and textures.
(Edited by Stephanie Yang)