Gelato and pastry have several things in common: both pursue quality, they both use carefully chosen ingredients, pay attention to online and offline communication and operate in attractively designed points of sale, where they also organise activities.

The market is buoyant. "People are thronging to Italy’s historic cities and its seaside resorts, and excellent results were recorded in June: a signal that tourism has recovered to good levels, and allowing us to hope that this will be a great season" says Simone Andreani, brand ambassador and business development manager for IFI. "End customers are looking for genuine, high-quality products from the local areas they have visited".

As for the professionals, Andreani points to an increasing attention to environmental sustainability, quality and functionality: "the search is on for solutions capable of making the food displayed visible, maintaining the right temperature and humidity levels, saving energy and offering ergonomic efficiency on daily activities".

IFI responds with products like the pastry and praline display case where products are all displayed on the same level, the lighting can be modulated and the system opens with a single movement. The vertical chilled unit gives all-round visibility of the products displayed, while viewable tubs combine perfect storage conditions with the visual appeal of the gelato in the display case. The multi-level unit, finally satisfies the need for a good presentation in pastry shops where space is limited.

Companies are developing a whole range of innovative, high-quality coffee beverages that go beyond the basic “cuppa” we are used to. As Gemma Kiernan, head of marketing at Marco Beverage Systems explains. "Innovation must not be an end unto itself, but a way of solving problems. There is a serious labour shortage at the moment, so we need easy-to-use equipment that doesn’t involve single-use plastic but does reduce energy costs. Another consideration is space: by making more room available the work flow is improved and customers an be served more quickly".

Marco are focusing on two new products. "Cold Brew has grown in popularity in recent years, so volumes are up, but it is quite hard to make and it takes time, so we have developed a cold brewer that reduces extraction times to three hours, as opposed to the 10-12 hours traditionally needed".

The second is a counter-based system with a control unit to which a coffee or other liquid source can be added, positioned underneath the bar, to dispense a whole range of beverages.

"I can serve lemonade, green tea with cane sugar syrup and Bubble Tea from a single tap. You can create different drinks by variously combining the sources. This is how we see the future of beverages. Bar owners are doing away with single-use plastic and don’t want to use bottles, but want to offer their customers more, and with this system they really can – and save space into the bargain".

It wouldn’t be summer without gelato. But apart from traditional flavours like pistachio, fior di latte, chocolate, strawberry and lemon, what new ideas are appearing in this exceptionally hot summer?

There are more and more flavours with an alcoholic twist, with the use of spirits, liqueurs or even beer. So-called affogato, where gelato is “drowned”, for example in coffee, also seems to be making a big comeback. Another variety that the sweet-toothed will find hard to resist is gelato with zabaglione and specialty coffee.

Peck dispayed its flair for innovation when it presented three ice-cream cocktails by chef Galileo Reposo: a highly original coming together of pastry art and mixology.

Almond stracciatella with candied lemon and white chocolate, crème de menthe and chocolate combined with white rum and Brancamenta; pistachio-flavoured gelato and the sweet aroma of Chartreuse and of meringue combined with vodka and – in a revisitation of frozen Daiquiri – Rum and Bénédectine combined with lemon and saffron gelato (another big hit of summer 2022).

From the Master Pizzaiuolo Edoardo Ore’s soul was born Fiore di Napoli, the flour of Neapolitan pizza obtained thanks to the mixing and sifting with 24 milling phases of a specific combination of high quality grains.

The gluten mesh of the dough results silky and with the correct relationship between toughness and extensibility.

The specific and calibrated quality of the enzymatic activity in maturation processes, both during the leavening and in the complex baking phase at 480°C, lead to obtaining a golden, downy, aromatic, crunchy and highly digestible Neapolitan pizza.

Technology and creativity, genius and technique: these are the elements that produce great cuisine and the reason why it was completely natural for HostMilano (the leading international trade fair for out-of-home food services, HoReCa and Retail that presents innovations in equipment every two years) to collaborate with chefs working for the Ambasciatori del Gusto association. We asked them how technology has changed and continues to change the way they cook.

“Innovation, in terms not just of technology and finding new, better ways to use ingredients, but also of sustainability, is becoming more and more important also in our sector,” says Alessandro Gilmozzi, president of Ambasciatori del Gusto and owner of the El Molin restaurant in Cavalese. “Ultrasound, to name just one new idea, can be used to process ingredients at 30°, which reduces bacteria – an important factor right now. In addition to that, it saves time because, in combination with rehydration, cooking times are shorter, less energy and water is used, and the whole process is more sustainable.” Technology has also changed delivery methods: “it has helped us stay in touch with customers and that has saved many establishments. Meanwhile, online tutorials have enabled us to reach out to potential customers, who then became patrons of ours when we were able to re-open again. In this way we have transformed the ‘do-it-yourself chef’ trend into an opportunity for recovery and growth for the out-of-home sector.”

The European Championship "Pizza Senza Frontiere" 2022 was held in London again this year. The event was organized during the The European Pizza & Pasta Show and ended on 23 June with the last competitions and awards for competitors. The event has always been one of the most exciting food events on the London scene.

Dough and topping were the great protagonists of the 2 competition days; the pizza makers began to warm up even before the start of the competitions, which took place on 22 and 23 June 2022.

The fair was not only the scene of the fascinating competitions of the European Championship of "Pizza Senza Frontiere". At the Olympia Exhibition Center there were numerous stands of leading companies in the pasta and pizza sector, highlighted with show cooking and demonstrations.

An exciting edition experienced by competitors, visitors and organizers with serenity: we are finally back on the scene without the worry of last year caused by the pandemic. So off to smiles without a mask, to handshakes and hugs exchanged by competitors, some for joy, some for the bitterness of defeat.

This Spolvero is ideal to prepare and knead highly hydrated doughs as well as to dry any type of dough, giving to the preparations an appetising and delicious crunchiness. The Spolvero Bianco is made of heat-treated rice flour and it was created by Di Marco, a Roman company active since 1981 in the professional pizza sector, to facilitate the kneading of any type of dough, even very soft and hydrated ones.

Spolvero Bianco by Di Marco is a calibrated grain size flour that makes both kneading and shaping any type of dough extremely simple. The use of Spolvero Bianco also facilitates a delicate moment like the stretching of the doughs, in particular for soft and highly hydrated ones.

Using this flour not only reduces the tackiness of the dough making it easier to knead, but it also helps to increase the crunchiness of the crust, giving it an appetising browning.

Di Marco’s Spolvero Bianco can be used to enhance and highlight the different characteristics of any dough, thus ensuring a perfect final result.

All ingredients of the Spolvero Bianco are 100% plant-based. The product does not contain dyes, preservatives, plant protection products or other additives and does not use genetically modified grains.

Summer is probably the most awaited season but it is also the one in which particular attention must be paid to expansion.

Here 4 tips for propery hydration by Doctor Edoardo Tacconi:

MONITORING HOW MUCH YOU DRINK
Tacconi's most important advice is to monitor how much water we drink. You almost always tend to drink only when you have the urge, but this may not be enough for many people. In fact, if the stimulus of thirst is perceived, it means that the dehydration process is already present so you should always try to anticipate it. The guidelines recommend in conditions of optimal temperature - that is 20 degrees and humidity at 60% - at least 1.5-2 liters of water per day for women and 2-2.5 liters of water for adult men. It is therefore clear that in warmer climatic conditions it is advisable to drink more. Still on the parameters and sensations front, feeling constantly dry lips or skin is a signal that must remind us to drink more.

THE COLOR OF THE URINE AND THE WEIGHT

Even the color of the urine, apart from in the morning as soon as you wake up and immediately after an intense and prolonged muscular effort, must tend to be transparent, so if this is not the case you have to commit to drinking more. For athletes, it may be useful to weigh yourself before and after physical activity (without clothes), to analytically understand the amount of fluids lost.

EAT SEASONAL FRUIT

These are precious foods that contain a lot of water. This is the case, for example, of melon and watermelon, which also contribute to the intake of many precious trace elements that can be lost with sweating in summer. In addition, they are also an excellent source of vitamins and fiber.

REDUCE ALCOHOLIC

Alcohol dehydrates and produces toxic by-products for the body. This is why it is always useful to prefer to drink a lot of water during dinners and aperitifs.