The Greek competition path has now officially reached its conclusion: with the selection of the last three participants during the final Challenge, the list of Greek finalists is now complete. These gelato artisans will represent Greece in the next phases of the Gelato Festival World Masters 2022-2025, the main category tournament with partners Carpigiani and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group in search of the world’s best gelato. After stops in Greece in 2023 and 2024, the traveling competition returned for the third year in a row. On September 23, at the Carpigiani distributor Domestica headquarters in Athens, 9 gelato artisans took part in the sweetest challenge of the year.

The winning gelato artisans and the best gelato artisans in Greece for 2025 are:

First place

Ioannis Pechlivanidis from “Elite” in Elassuna with the flavor “Strachiattella Almond”

Description: almond gelato variegated with almond praline and caramelized almonds.

Second place

Odysseas Skoutelis from “I Scream” in Kefalonia with the flavor “Pistachio & Raspberry”

Description: pistachio gelato with raspberry cream and pistachio crumble.

Third place

Dimitris Chatiras from “Insane Gelato” in Korinthos with the flavor “Uva e Sole (Wine and Raisins)”

Description: Malagouzia wine from Nemea gelato with Vostitsa, corynthian raisins.

The three selected gelato artisans will go on to the Greek Finals of Gelato Festival World Masters that will take place in Italy at the Carpigiani headquarters on October 30 and 31, 2025. Flavor, structure, creativity and presentation are the four parameters used for the evaluation, highlighting the choice of ingredients, the craftsmanship in elaborating the recipe and the visual impact of the gelato (see below the full list of participants).

The jury was composed of:

- Stefanos Sbonias, Pastry Chef at Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection hotel, in Athens

- Panagiotis Xigos, Foodservice Management Consultant at Sklavenitis

- Frantzeskos Sozos, Head Executive Pastry Chef of Pastry & Bakery Productions at Sklavenitis

Gelato Festival debuted in Florence in 2010, inspired by the creation of the first gelato recipe by the versatile architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. Since then, the event has expanded its borders, first to the rest of Italy, then to Europe and – starting in 2017 – the United States, with a total of 80 Festivals held, before embracing the entire planet with the world championship of Gelato Festival World Masters 2021, which concluded in December 2021 - with the victory of Adam Fazekas from Budapest - and saw a record of 3,500 gelato artisans judged by international juries.

GELATO FESTIVAL WORLD MASTERS

Greek Challenge

September 23, 2025

Athens – Domestica

LIST OF PARTICIPATING FLAVORS

WINNERS

• First place:  Ioannis Pechlivanidis from “Elite” in Elassuna with the flavor “Strachiattella Almond”
• Second place: Odysseas Skoutelis from “I Scream” in Kefalonia with the flavor “Pistachio & Raspberry”
• Third place: Dimitris Chatiras from “Insane Gelato” in Korinthos with the flavor “Uva e Sole (Wine and Raisins)”

Other Participants

• Zalina Albegova from “The Milky Way” in Mykonos with the flavor “Olympus Kiss”
• Kyriaki Biniari from “Theros Gelato” in Korinthos with the flavor “Yogurt & Honey”
• Panagiotis Bobas from “Iter del Gusto” in Athens with the flavor “Tiramisu with Pistachio from Aigina”
• Giorgos Kostyakis from Athens with the flavor “Zabaione Vinsanto with Cantucci Biscotti”
• Ioanna Palamari from “La Mure” in Athens with the flavor “Halvas with orange marmalade”
• Anastasis Vomvylas from “Fellini Gelato Artigianale” in Rhodes with the flavor “Traditional Greek Walnut Pie”