THE BEST GELATO FESTIVAL FLAVOR IN CHICAGO IS…
The Best Gelato in Chicago is:
Pistachio Sicilia
by Angelo Lollino of Massa Café Italiano & Vero Gelato in Elmwood Park, IL
Second Place: Fragola e Menta Sorbetto by Michael E. Meranda,
Gelato d’Oro in Chicago, IL
Third Place: Little Red by Savannah G. Lee,
Savannah’s Gelato Kitchen in San Francisco, CA
Please find photographs from this weekend: link and generic photographs of Gelato Festival America: link
Monday, August 19, 2019 — Gelato Festival America, now in its third year, celebrated its first Chicago edition to partner with Chicago’s Little Italy Festa on Taylor Street by Ron Onesti. The mission of Gelato Festival America is to spread the culture of artisanal gelato throughout the United States by holding events in four cities this summer. The winner of the contest for best flavor at this Festival was Pistachio Sicilia, presented by Angelo Lollino of Massa Café Italiano & Vero Gelato in Elmwood Park, IL. Other local Chicago competitors included Kyleen Atonson of Acadia and Michael E. Meranda of Gelato d’Oro.
– 1st place winner of the Chicago festival, Chicago’s very own Angelo Lollino (Instagram: @verocoffeegelato), received a beautiful medal by Florentine goldsmith Paolo Penko. The Pistachio Sicilia flavor was a hit with the Public Jury, composed of ticket-holding guests, as well as the Technical Jury of 12 professional judges. Angelo balanced his gelato perfectly, combining, “Bronte DOP pistachios with a light Sicilian lemon essence and a topping of candied orange and lemon peel”.
– Second place went to Fragola e Menta Sorbetto, a simple flavor based on fresh fruit and fresh mint that brings memories of warm evenings on Taylor Street, by Michael E. Meranda of Gelato d’Oro in Chicago, IL.
– Third place went to Little Red, an enticing cheesecake gelato marbled with decadent red velvet cake and a traditional honey graham cracker crust, drizzled with melted white chocolate and neatly tied up with a strawberry ribbon, by Savannah G. Lee (Instagram: @savannahs_gelato_kitchen) of Savannah’s Gelato Kitchen in San Francisco, CA.
Held in collaboration with strategic partners Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group, Global Partner Air Italy, Main Sponsors PreGel and WhyGelato.com, and Technical Sponsor ISA, Gelato Festival Chicago 2019 has produced a winner to continue the competition and enter a flavor in Gelato Festival American Final 2020. It’s the World Cup of gelato, a journey with hundreds of trials and thousands of flavors over four years on five continents! The Chicago stage competitors created and served more than two tons of gelato for thousands of guests over this weekend Chicago’s West Taylor Street using cups by Packaging Sponsor Stanpac.