Translation of the above article as it appeared in “Bake & Sweet” magazine issue 01/2011.
The motherland of the best ice cream1 in the world, is in fact also the motherland of Mr. Giuseppe Lamandini, the owner of a gelateria (ice cream parlor in Italian - translator’s note) located in Sopot. It is in Italy that Giuseppe gained his artisan experience under the watchful eyes of the most prominent Italian gelato (ice cream in Italian – translator’s note) maestros. He fulfilled his dream of opening his own gelateria in Poland, where he moved with his Polish wife. The gelateria is an innovation in the European context. Giuseppe being a creative, Italian artisan marries traditional production technique with exclusive, health-promoting ingredients to produce unique gelato of superb quality. Every day he combines his passion for gelato with veganism, healthy lifestyle and a love of nature.
Different flavours, different approaches A conversation with Giuseppe Lamandini, the creator and owner of Gelati Giuseppe brand, Italian gelato producer, who is the first one in Poland to offer healthy gelato, created solely out of natural, plant ingredients. - Your gelato is made from natural materials. In our market, it is a novelty. What makes this manufacturing method different from the classical one? - In my opinion it is rather the other way around: using natural ingredients to make gelato is the traditional way, and it used to be the regular way. Today, specialised producers of these semi-finished ice cream compete to create ready-made formulas full of chemical ingredients, flavouring additions and unhealthy ingredients, trying to convince us that pastry industry cannot survive without them. Some gelato makers have given in to this attitude, but I am its determined opponent. In my opinion, using those kinds of “inventions” not only has a negative impact on the taste and health benefits of ice cream, but it also kills your creativity and the desire to produce an individual, one-of-a-kind product. As a matter of fact, you can do it in a whole different manner. I do not use any ready-made basis for my gelato. Every flavour is manufactured in a different way by blending particular ingredients. I pay attention to the naturalness, freshness and what’s most important, to the organic origin of the product. But that’s not all. Natural origin does not need to mean health. While white refined sugar is made from natural sugar beets, there is not a shadow of doubt that it is an unhealthy product, which we should avoid. In my recipes there is no white sugar. There is healthy xylitol, organic unrefined cane sugar and raw, organic agave syrup.