The Best Master Artisan Ice Cream Maker of Spain Championship is not awarded
On 17, 18 and 19 February, InterSICOP 2024 - International Bakery, Patisserie, Ice Cream, Coffee and Equipment Show - hosted the MMAHE (Best Master Artisan Ice Cream Maker of Spain), a revamped version of the Spanish Ice Cream Championship, at IFEMA Madrid.
Organised by the National Association of Artisan Ice Cream Makers (ANHECA), it is presented as a test of excellence and this year there was no winning contestant. The requirement for this title of excellence is to achieve at least 80% of the total points at stake
No candidate scoops the title
After three days of intense competition, the jury, made up of Adolfo Romero, Lluís Ribas, Albert Soler, Jordi Domingo and Albert Roca, declared the MMAHE void.
The president of the jury, Albert Roca, said that "this tough decision has been taken for the benefit of a title that should be reserved for those who reach the required level to ensure that only excellence will be rewarded". He also acknowledged that it is sad "not to award the title to any of the candidates. They have worked very hard and in some cases have made very positive developments, but with the MMAHE we want to set a new paradigm for competition.
Why the jury decided not to declare a winner of the MMAHE?
All the members of the jury agreed that two of the most common faults were the melting point in the creations and inadequate mixing. "The consistency that makes the difference was lacking", says Adolfo Romero.
The seven candidates
This year the MMAHE had seven contenders: Eulalia Sirvent of Xixovic (Vic, Barcelona), Carolina Ferreira from Casa del Gelato (Tarifa, Cádiz), Alfredo Marrero of Relieve (Tenerife), Fernando Alberdi from Dona Doni (Guetaria, Guipúzcoa), Carlos Rojas of Trompa & Co (Barcelona), José Pablo Ambrosio from Il Piamonte (Córdoba) and Jesús Valdés of Diego Verdú (Oviedo, Asturias).
The tests consisted of creating a container of ice cream, a take-away ice cream, an ice cream cake and three mystery boxes (two in glycol tube format and one in popsicle format).
Only Alfredo Marrero from the Canary Islands came within one step of winning the title, falling only half a point short of the minimum score.