On 24th March we will be celebrating the 10th European Artisanal Gelato Day
Final preparations are under way for European Artisanal Gelato Day, the only day that the European Parliament has ever dedicated to a foodstuff, which on Thursday 24 th March will be celebrating its tenth anniversary.
With a turnover of 8.7 billion euros, more than 65,000 points of sale and 300,000 staff in Europe alone, artisanal gelato has always served as a trait d’union across the European continent, and this year it is even more of a symbol of the unity and closeness of all European citizens.
And on Gelato Day, a unique opportunity to contribute to the promotion of this product, to promote craftsmanship and to develop the gastronomic tradition of the sector, master gelato makers are getting ready to inaugurate the 2022 artisanal gelato season by staging a series of events and initiatives and making quantities of Dolce Sinfonia, the 2022 Flavour of the Year, containing chocolate, hazelnuts, fresh ricotta and figs in rum syrup, as set out in the official recipe by Silvia Chirico of the Tenuta Chirico gelateria in Ascea.
EVENTS IN ITALY
The first events are already getting under way over the next few days: on March 24th at 11.00, Paolo Garna, former general manager of MIG in Longarone, Matteo Andreola, Business Unit Manager Carpigiani Foodservice Professional & Pastry, and Manuel Marzari, Pastry Chef, will talk about Gelato in Catering to bring their own experience and in addition will prepare the Flavour of the Year 2022.
But there is more to Gelato Day than just cones and cups: in keeping with tradition, it is also a valuable opportunity to do some good. In Bergamo, gelato makers will be uniting in the Gelato for Ukraine campaign, donating part of the proceeds from the 24 th March to raising funds, that will then be donated to the Bergamo Community Foundation, in association with the diocesan Caritas and the Eco di Bergamo daily newspaper, to help the Ukrainian refugees arriving in our area.
And to reveal all the secrets of “Dolce Sinfonia”, on 24 March Gelato University organizes two live streams: at 11.30, in Italian, with the gelato maker Marco Venturino of the gelateria I Giardini di Marzo in Varazze (Savona), and at 15.00, in English, with the teacher Stefano Tarquinio.
Confartigianato, on the other hand, in addition to the talk dedicated to the Taste of the Year during SIGEP, will involve the gelato makers of all its regional and provincial federations to tell, as well as make enthusiastic flavours, with all the craftsmanship, knowledge and excellence behind an excellent artisanal gelato.
Good, but also nutritious, gelato is one of the few desserts that can be considered to all intents and purposes a balanced food. And Gusto 17 in Milan will take the opportunity of Gelato Day to present, alongside the greedy Taste of the Year, three new gelato sticks in which refined sugars have been replaced by Giorgio Poeta’s Acacia honey: sustainable, with fewer calories and more vitamins and antioxidants.
Not only that: Gusto 17 continues to support Make-A-Wish Italia Onlus, allocating part of the proceeds from each order of personalized ice cream pastry to the non-profit organization that grants the wishes of seriously ill children and teenagers.
Silvia Chirico, who created the official recipe for Dolce Sinfonia, is also joining this campaign: for every Flavour of the Year gelato purchased from 19 th to 25 th March, the Chirico Estate in Ascea will give away an invitation to the Concert for Peace to be held on 26 th March, at 7 pm, at the Parmenide Auditorium in Ascea.
In Cariati (Calabria), on 24 th March, at 10:30 am, the Antica Gelateria Fortino will take its characteristic gelato van to the entrance of Cariati’s Vittorio Cosentino Hospital (which is also a Covid-19 centre) to offer all healthcare workers a free hand-made Dolce Sinfonia gelato.
The Alfonso Gatto state high school in Agropoli (near Naples) will also be celebrating artisanal gelato during the Festa dello Sport, an event that brings together all the students under the banner of sport, rules and fair play organised by the Campania Gelato Makers Association.
And to make sure you don’t miss any of the events planned, take a look at the list of gelato parlours taking part.
FREE HOME DELIVERY WTH DELIVEROO
And that is not all, either. The partnership with Deliveroo, the leading online food delivery platform, has been renewed for the second year running. Deliveroo will be promoting an information campaign dedicated to Gelato Day throughout the week and on 24 th March will be offering free delivery of orders from participating gelato parlours: Sweety Gelato from Roma and Terra Gelato, Gelateria Concordia, Premiata Cremeria Rossi, Oasi del Gelato, Artico Gelateria – Isola di Milano.
EVENTS IN EUROPE
Elsewhere in Europe and beyond, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, and even as far away as Argentina and Japan, will be joining together on Gelato Day to celebrate one of the most popular products of all time. In Vienna, spring was inaugurated yesterday, 21 st March, with a tribute to the Flavour of the Year, which will be repeated on 24 th March, while Holland has joined the A gelato for Ukraine campaign – indeed, alongside the Flavour of the Year Dolce Sinfonia, gelato parlour windows across the Netherlands will feature apple-pie gelato: together, they will be helping to raise funds to send a signal of fellowship and solidarity with the Ukrainian people affected by the conflict.
FUTURE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
And the celebrations of artisanal gelato will carry on in the coming months. At the beginning of May, for example, Antica Gelateria Fortino will hold a gelato day in Cariati’s primary and secondary schools, offering all pupils and teachers the Flavour of the Year. From 22 May to 31 August 2022, Bar Gelateria del Viale and Caffetteria del Viale in Fiano Romano will be giving their customers the chance to win some great prizes, including a week’s holiday for five people.
Meanwhile, in St Mark’s Square in Venice, the celebrations for the tenth anniversary of European Artisanal Gelato Day will continue in September with the Veneto Gelato Association and the participation of no fewer than 30 gelato parlours across the Veneto region.
Also in September, the second phase of the Artglace video contest will be coming to a close, calling on Europe’s gelato-makers to express all their creativity and skill using chocolate, hazelnuts, fresh ricotta and figs in a rum syrup – the ingredients in the official recipe for Dolce Sinfonia – by making a short 90-second video showing how to prepare Flavour of the Year, which will be taking centre stage at the tenth anniversary Gelato Day.