Photo provided to Hangzhoufeel
Shop
By Miao Simin
If you happen to pass by Hangzhou’s Zhongshan Road (Middle) in Shangcheng district, you will likely notice a long line outside an unsigned Italian handmade ice cream shop, with customers holding their gelatos to check off the shop and take photos.
The shop is Sette Gelato, whose owner recently won the Sherbeth Festival, a prestigious world-class gelato-making competition held in Italy. Tomas and Ivy, a young Chinese couple and the managers of Sette Gelato, have taken the top spot among 50 gelato makers from around the world. This marks the first time in 16 years that a Chinese gelato maker has won a championship in a world-class competition held in Italy.
The Sherbeth Festival championship, an industry-renowned professional competition, represents the highest honor for gelato makers. The judges evaluate contestants’ entries based on ingredients, flavor, innovation, and other aspects, with a completely confidential scoring process to ensure fairness and impartiality.
Tomas and Ivy named their award-winning creation “Lemon Tree”, inspired by the lush lemon groves of Sicily. The ingredients include agarwood, blending the unique woody charm of China with the vibrant Sicilian lemon. A delicate herbal scent is then added with olive oil. This ingenious combination of natural ingredients created a vivid and three-dimensional “lemon tree”. After the win, numerous foreign media outlets reported the result, offering congratulations to the couple.
Just like the creation of “Lemon Tree”, Tomas and Ivy draw creative inspiration for making gelato from life itself. They constantly innovate by experimenting with flavors and ingredients inspired by food, drinks, and everyday moments. Moreover, all of Sette Gelato’s creations are handmade by them, using entirely natural ingredients. So far, they have developed over 200 flavors, with several new additions to the menu every week.
On weekends, the queue can stretch for more than half an hour. According to Tomas, after winning the grand prize, he and Ivy rarely slept before 2 a.m. Despite the hard work, Tomas is delighted by the support and love from customers, hoping that everyone feels happy and content while enjoying their gelato.
The happy couple shared that Sette Gelato will relocate to 277 Queen’s Park in Gongshu district in early December. If you spot an unsigned gelato shop, you’ll know it’s theirs!