BELGIUM - HERE ARE THE 9 BEST GELATO ARTISANS COMPETING FOR A PLACE IN THE WORLD FINAL OF THE GELATO FESTIVAL WORLD MASTERS
The Final dedicated to Belgium will take place on October 30 and 31 at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna (Italy), with 9 gelato makers competing. Two of them will represent the country at the World Final scheduled for 2026.
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Bologna (Italy) 6 August 2025 – Here are the 9 best gelato makers in Belgium according to Gelato Festival World Masters. They have been selected in various events from 2022 to date and on October 30, they will fly to Italy to compete for a place in the World Final scheduled for 2026.
Here are the names of the gelato makers and the flavors with which they are preparing to face the Belgian Final:
· Tom van den Berge of Delicioso BV in Burst with the flavor “Pijnboompitten-Basilicum-Pecorino”
· Jasper Braeckman of Kreem by De Petrushoeve in Beervelde with the flavor “Pasta Pesto van Brandnetel”
· Mathieu Eyckmans of Oyya in Brugge with the flavor “Lemon 2.0”
· Djordy van Kemseke of Dito's Ice Cream in Schilde with the flavor “Hibiscus & Kaneel”
· Fabio Marasti of La Gourmand'Ice in Heusy with the flavor "Nessun Dorma "
· Peter Roman of Glacerie Peter in Pecq with the flavor “Gelato affumicato”
· José Romero of Pepe’s in Bruxelles with the flavor “Comme une Rûche”
· Gert Verschelde of ‘t Zoet gemoed in Zomergem with the flavor “Peerfect Witlof”
· Christian Wu of Gelateria Giotto in Jette with the flavor "Il Bosco dei Cento Acri"
Two of them will represent the country at the World Final scheduled for 2026.
The Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna (Italy) will become the world capital of gelato: from October 27 to 31, it will host 150 European gelato makers from 14 countries. The aim is to advance in the qualification process for the World Final, which will be held in 2026 and will complete a journey that began in 2022 with 4,000 gelato makers involved and hundreds of local selections around the world.
Gelato Festival World Masters is organized in collaboration with Carpigiani and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group. The sponsors of these selection days are: IFI (Main Sponsor); Pregel; Hiber. The event is supported by Filicori Zecchini.
Here is the calendar of upcoming events:
- October 27 and 28: Second Italian Semifinal
75 gelato makers from 15 regions will compete. Eight will be selected to go through to the Italian Final, scheduled to take place at Sigep 2026.
- October 30 and 31: Final dedicated to SPAIN with 9 gelato makers competing to select the 3 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: Final dedicated to HUNGARY with 9 gelato makers competing to select the 2 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: final dedicated to POLAND with 8 gelato makers competing to select the 2 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: final dedicated to the CZECH REPUBLIC with 9 gelato makers competing to select the 2 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: final dedicated to BELGIUM with 9 gelato makers competing to select the 2 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: final dedicated to GREECE with 9 gelato makers competing to select the 2 flavors that will go on to the World Final;
- October 30 and 31: REST OF EUROPE final with 22 gelato makers from Bulgaria (2), France (5), the Netherlands (3), Norway (3), Sweden (1), Switzerland (5), and the United Kingdom (3). From this stage, 4 will go on to the World Final.
The 2022-25 edition marks the 16th year of the Gelato Festival World Masters, which debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the creation of the first ice cream recipe by the multifaceted architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. Since then, the event has expanded its boundaries, first to the rest of Italy, then to Europe and, since 2017, to the United States, before embracing the entire planet with the Gelato Festival World Masters world championship, which involved over 3,500 gelato makers in the 2017-2021 edition.
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