Olympic Gold (of Flavor) in the South!
Mister Cream from Agropoli (Salerno) Triumphs at the Milan International Gelato Award 2025

An explosion of flavor, creativity, and artisanal mastery enlivened the HOST trade show in Milan, the global stage for restaurants and hospitality, where the fourth edition of the prestigious Milan International Gelato Award (MIGA) was held. This morning, the intense competition concluded, crowning this year’s overall winner, bringing the flavor of Campania’s excellence to the top step of the podium.

The Challenge: Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
This year’s edition stood out for its highly topical and inspiring theme: the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. A theme that tested the imagination and technique of gelato makers, who were challenged to translate the sporting spirit, excellence, and Alpine landscapes into a unique sensory experience.

Seven gelato shops from across Italy participated in the competition, selected from the nine admitted to the final stage. A total of just over thirty entries were received, confirming the high level of interest and the desire of the professionals to test themselves in such a prestigious context.

Salerno’s second victory: Mister Cream’s “Gold Medal”
The cup went to Gelateria Mister Cream of Agropoli (Salerno), led by Carmine Salerno. His bold and winning flavor, aptly named “Gold Medal“, won over the judges for its originality and balance, demonstrating how high-end Italian gelato is alive and well, drawing on the rich tradition of Southern Italy.

This victory is a testament to the extensive research and dedication that Salerno and its gelato shop carry out daily, celebrating artisanal excellence that transcends regional borders.

A unique competition in the trade fair landscape
The Milan International Gelato Award confirms its position as the only Italian artisanal gelato competition held directly at the trade fair, offering the highest level of visibility and context, essential for professionals in the Ho.Re.Ca. sector.

The competition took place in a dedicated area at the BRAVO stand, a leading manufacturer of gelato, pastry, and chocolate machines, which supported the event as the sole sponsor.

The quality of the participants was evaluated by an exceptional jury composed of industry experts: Andrea Bombardoni (Levati Editore), Osvaldo Palermo (gelato maker), and Andrea Zingrillo (gelato maker). Their challenging task was to identify the flavor that best interpreted the proposed theme and combined technique, raw materials, and harmony.

A regular event with artisanal excellence
The fourth edition of the Milan International Gelato Award demonstrated once again how artisanal gelato is a cornerstone of the ever-evolving Made in Italy brand, capable of inspiring and innovating. Congratulations to Carmine Salerno and all the participants who helped make this challenge a celebration of the art of gelato making.

And you, readers, are you curious to taste the “Gold Medal”? Let us know what you think in the comments!

The competition took place at the stand of BRAVO (a manufacturer of gelato, pastry, and chocolate machines), the sole sponsor, with the jury composed of Marco Levati (publisher), Osvaldo Palermo (gelato maker), and Andrea Zingri (gelato maker).

The competing flavors were some exciting and some disappointing. Among the highs and lows, however, there were at least two other flavors worthy of an Olympic podium!

The most interesting flavors: “L’oro del gelato” and “Olympic spirit”.

The voting results are published for transparency:

The event was organized by Renato Romano.

Yesterday morning, after an intense competition between gelato makers, he was the winner of the second edition of the Milan International Gelato Award.

Thirteen gelato shops from all over Italy took part in the second edition of the Milan International Gelato Award, this year’s challenge was on the theme of Dante Alighieri (2021 will be the 700th anniversary of his death).

Victory of the taste “Golosità infernale” of the Agripaestum ice cream parlor in Capaccio (Salerno) by Antonio Baratta who says «Dante hardly talks about food in his poems, but in the Divine Comedy he indulges in some culinary pleasure, such as bread without salt and the apple tree. Thanks to these two products I created my own flavour, where the apple is the dominant part, created in the form of a sorbet (always to be able to please everyone, vegan and lactose intolerant), flavored with bay leaf and cinnamon infused and variegated with toasted bread without salt (typical Tuscan bread) and walnuts which will be made into grains with the aid of the cutter and decorated with dried apples. I wanted to use bay leaves because they were a distinctive symbol of Dante as they adorned his crown, while cinnamon was one of the many spices that was introduced in Italy at that time ».

Just over thirty registrations were received to access the competition that was held last weekend on the occasion of the HOST fair in Milan, dedicated to the world of catering and hospitality.
The Milan International Gelato Award is the only Italian artisan gelato competition held at the fair.

The competition took place at the stand of the BRAVO company (manufacturer of machines for gelato, pastry and chocolate), the only sponsor, with the jury made up of Marco Levati (publisher), Osvaldo Palermo (gelato maker) and Andrea Zingri (gelato maker).

Marlene Dabusc

Lorenzo Santaromita Villa

Andrea Ghisolfi

Demetrio Romeo

Luigi Beretta

Emanuele Manunta

Alessandro Marchese

Andrea Baita

Maria Chiara Sanna

Antonio Baratta

Tiago

Maurizio Bonina

The tastes in the chellenge were some exciting and others disappointing, between low and high, however, there were at least four flavors that rose to the highest point!

The most interesting flavours: “Bella Degli Abati” and “Il companatico”.

Taste with wow effect: “The tropical poem”

For transparency, the results of the votes are published.

The event was organized by Renato Romano.