Some of the continent’s top gelato chefs are coming to Los Angeles this month to show off their coolest creations during a Labor Day weekend gelato festival.
But this isn’t just a regular festival; this is the Gelato Festival World Masters, where the chefs will be competing for continental pride because the top three gelato makers will move on to represent North America in what is essentially the Olympics of gelato crafting in Italy.
“There is nothing even close to this for someone who loves frozen dessert,” said Gabriele Poli, the founder of the Gelato Festival World Masters, which he launched in Florence, Italy in 2010. “In terms of unique flavors, meeting the chefs, their stories, the ingredients they use, there is nothing in the world that is close to this.”
The festival consists of regional competitions in more than 20 countries around the globe. The winners of these competitions move on to compete in the world finals, which take place every four years, with the next one set for 2026 in Italy, featuring 30 finalist chefs.
The 10 chefs coming to the Ovation Hollywood on Aug. 30-31 for the weekend event earned their spots in the semi-final competitions across the country, but no local gelato makers made the top ten this year. The list includes chefs from New York, Texas, Ohio, Canada and Mexico.
“It’s a competition where gelato fans will get to taste the future of the treat,” Poli said.
“Through the gelato festival and competitions around the world, the new flavors and trends arrive on the market. So not only will we have in L.A. the ten top chefs competing with their unique flavors, we will also see great local (and other) chefs come in and they will attend demos,” he said.
While it’s a serious competition, it’s also a fun festival so Poli said people can expect live gelato-making demonstrations, eating contests and of course tastings where fans of the cold treat can experience some of the creative flavors from the competing gelato chefs like Texas competitor James Coleridge, who will be making a Texas pecan gelato with see salt and candied pecans.
People will also be able to taste and judge a carrot cake gelato from Pennsylvania-based chef Lauren Brock, and a vegan gelato with Venezuelan chocolate from Ohio’s Maria Liliana Biondo.
“It’s a deep dive into the craft,” Poli said.
Gelato Festival World Masters
When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Aug. 30-31
Where: Ovation Hollywood, 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood
Tickets: $27.25 and up
Information: gelatofestival.com/pages/world-masters