Celebrity fashion, art, architecture, and nightlife West Hollywood Design District is adding another international marquee name to its roster – the acclaimed Gelato Festival – the world’s most authoritative event dedicated to gelato.

Set at the plaza of the Pacific Design Center on September 28 and 29, this will be the final American round of culinary competitions in 2019 where the “coolest” chefs gather to impress both a professional tasting panel as well as thousands of fans who will vote for their favorite expression of Italy’s most famous frozen dessert.

The Gelato Festival West Hollywood, will run from 11am until 7pm, with live entertainment and art complimented by an exhibition tent featuring some of LA’s finest restaurants to pair alongside the official competing flavors which include Mexican Chocolate with sweet mole and cacahuate, Strawberry Herbal Sorbet, Pineapple Butter Gelato, and Mangonada with chamoy sauce and tajin spices among many others.

Tickets are available at gelatofestival.com with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Charity Partner Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles based charity that cooks and delivers over 600,000 nutritious meals each year, free of charge, to the homes of men, women, and children affected by life-threatening illnesses. Celebrating its 30th year in 2019, Project Angel Food has served over 12 million meals to more than 20,000 people.

Gelato lovers should not miss this event which will feature…

• All-you-can-eat original flavors, made fresh on-site all day long
• Check out the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels
• Games & activities: Eating Contest, Kids Jury and more
• Watch and learn how artisanal gelato is made
• Cast a vote to help find the best gelato in America

Gelato Festival’s Permanent Place on Melrose

The first flagship store of the Gelato Festival has just opened its doors on iconic Melrose Avenue, serving up a rotating menu of award-winning flavors, soon to include the winner of Gelato Festival WeHo, as well as featuring a live production laboratory, a classroom and a museum. Visitors to 8906 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA, will discover artisan gelato and Italian coffee in all its aspects, from tasting to creating. Master Chefs interested in experimentation and innovation will visit the open laboratory, where guests can admire all the steps of the gelato making process, with recipes like Strawberry and Pepper or Pecorino with Caramelized Pears and Sulla Honey, plus ice-cream cakes, popsicles and high-quality Italian coffee.

Wholly unlike any other gelato (or ice cream) store in the country, this unique, hybrid concept will feature:

• a ROTATING MENU of award-winning, taste bud-tingling artisan gelato flavors (and gelato confections) created by master gelato chefs from around the world
• an open-concept LAB equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, where customers can view the mesmerizing process of gelato being made fresh daily
• a CLASSROOM that will host a regular schedule of unforgettably fun, interactive gelato and coffee workshops open to the public (and be available for private events)
• a MUSEUM area that brings gelato’s historical roots and founder (Bernardo Buontalenti, who first created gelato in 16th century Florence) to life and feature instagrammable contemporary art installations
• a calendar of lively COMMUNITY EVENTS, including special visits by award-winning gelato chefs, kids’ juries, and all-you-can-eat gelato challenges

“As a native Florentine, I grew up with a passion for gelato, and as an adult, I became obsessed with the idea of sharing my love for this frozen dessert with the whole world,” says Gabriele Poli, Founder & President of Gelato Festival. “Even though our roots are in Italy, here in the U.S., the purpose of Gelato Festival runs much deeper than simply making fantastic gelato. It’s also about celebrating and sharing the culture, chefs, and community behind this time-honored craft. There are still very few true gelato stores in the U.S., but we’re a part of the movement to change that—and raise the bar of the whole industry.”

Born in Florence, Italy in 2010, Gelato Festival was founded on the belief that gelato is a universal symbol of happiness—and that there are few pleasures in life greater than the feeling of licking a truly delicious scoop. Over the past ten years, it has hosted more than 100 decadently fun festivals across the world where over 3,000 of the most accomplished gelato chefs compete with their original flavors. Attendees have the opportunity to taste all the competing flavors, vote for their favorite one, and even watch gelato chefs at work in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels.

Follow along on Instagram @gelatofestival and @gelatofestivalamerica