SHAW: Washington DC-based Italian Gelato Company Dolci Gelati Secures Win at 2016 Gelato World Tour in Chicago

Pastry Chef and Owner Gianluigi Dellaccio of celebrated Washington DC-based authentic Italian gelato company Dolci Gelati (www.DolciGelati.net) secured the win as the “Judges Choice” for the Technical Jury Award category for his “Saffron Pistachio with Candied Lemon Peel Gelato” flavor featured at the 2016 Gelato World Tour held in Millennium Park in Chicago over the Memorial Holiday weekend. As a result, Dellaccio and Dolci Gelati will continue on to the Grand Finale of the Gelato World Tour representing the Americas region which will take place in Rimini, Italy in 2017.

Sixteen flavors along with their artisans that represented cities from all over the America’s were selected as finalists out of over 100 candidates by a panel of culinary experts led by Jury President Emily Ellyn, the Retro-Rad Chef. Also included in the selection committee, Chef Ben Vaughn (Author, TV Personality), Dr. Robert Bradley (University of Wisconsin, Author), Tom Vaccaro, Dean of Pastry and Baking, Culinary Institute of America, Victoria Jordan Rodriguez, James Beard Foundation, and Luciana Polliotti (World Famous Italian Gelato Journalist).

Sixteen teams came together this weekend in Chicago to compete for The Best Gelato Flavor in the Americas. A panel of expert culinary judges (30%) combined with the public vote (65%) and the opinion of the artisans competing in the event (5%) decided the outcome of the competition. The four winners will move on to compete in Rimini, Italy with winners from the other stages for the title “World’s Best Gelato Flavor.”

"This year will mark 20 years that I have been in the gelato business and also marks the 10 year anniversary for Dolci Gelati, which I originally launched in Washington DC in 2016", said Pastry Chef and Owner Gianluigi Dellaccio of Dolci Gelati. "I am thrilled that my experience, creativity, and craft was able to yield this winning flavor at this prestigious global gelato competition and I am incredibly proud to represent Washington, DC and the U.S. next year at the global Grand Finale competition in Rimini, Italy. It's going to be such an honor to represent the U.S. in my native country of Italy where my journey in becoming a pastry chef and my passion for making authentic handcrafted Italian gelato all began. In celebration of the honors we received at the Gelato World Tour, we will be serving the winning flavor at our stores throughout the DC area at our shops in DC, MD, and Northern Virginia, and I'm looking forward to seeing the expressions on our fans faces from all over when they taste it."