Panettone without borders: 20 great pastry chefs on a cruise to challenge each other on the king of leavened products

Under the banner of the restart, the Panettone without borders event to promote and spread knowledge of the king of Italian leavened products. The jury chaired by Igino Massari. At the end, an award to those who have left a mark in the history of panettone: Alfonso Pepe, who passed away last year, and Achille Zoia, professor of the Cast Alimenti haute patisserie course

Dedicated to the restart "Panettone without borders" the event that every year unites some of the best pastry chefs in Italy around the king of leavened products, now in its sixth edition, has chosen for the first time to move aboard a cruise ship, the Costa Cruises flagship, the Costa Smeralda, to touch several cities and cross national borders and spread awareness of the qualities of Panettone.

The lucky travelers who have chosen to take a cruise in the week of November 13 to 20 with stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo and Civitavecchia will be able to taste panettone offered by selected masters from all over Italy, all prepared with natural yeast and of first choice, without any use of preservatives, they will be able to participate in tastings of the prepared panettone, of specialties made for the occasion and conferences dedicated to pastry, as well as meetings with the Master Pastry Chefs.

At the heart of the event will be the competition between twenty pastry chefs, who will compete with each other to decide which will be the best traditional panettone. They will be evaluated by a jury of experts, made up of the most illustrious names in pastry and the world of Panettone: the Master of Masters Iginio Massari and Debora Massari, Master Pastry Chef and founder of the Iginio Massari brand; Paco Torreblanca, Art in Pastry; Achille Zoia, master of the doughs and "father" of the modern panettone; Piergiorgio Giorilli, the essence of Italian bakery, head of Ambassedeurs du Pain Italy; Vittorio Santoro, Food Cast Director; Davide Malizia, World Champion of artistic sugar, director of Aromacademy and Pastry Star 2021; Vincenzo Tiri, Master of leavened desserts, award-winning for his panettone, Pastry Star 2021; Riccardo Bellaera, Costa Cruises Corporate Chef Pastry & Chef Baker, Luxury Pastry in The World 2019 and Pastry Star 2021; Antonio Brizzi, Corporate Executive Chef of Costa Cruises; and finally a star of the French pastry world.

During the cruise several meetings are scheduled, including one with Iginio Massari, and you will be able to taste every nuance of panettone, even in the ice cream version of Eugenio Morrone, world champion of ice cream.

The names of those who have won the first prizes over the years are all prestigious: Marco Rinella, Alfonso Pepe, Pietro Macellaro, Vincenzo Tiri, Sebastiano Caridi, Rocco Scutellá, Elvio Donatone, Roberto Cantolacqua, Felice Venanzi, Vincenzo Faiella and Marco Ferrante.

At the end of the event, the award "Panettone without Borders" will be awarded to those who have distinguished themselves, particularly, in the enhancement, leaving a mark in the history of panettone, an award that was assigned to the Masters Alfonso Pepe, who passed away last year, and Achille Zoia, teacher of the Cast Alimenti haute patisserie course.

Iginio Massari is universally recognized by the World of Pastry as the "Master of Masters", and in his laboratory in Brescia an unknown number of great Pastry Chefs from all over the world have learned to manage and use mother yeast. Over 300 competitions won and national and international awards and recognitions received. His creations are defined by a unique style and inspiration, which is firmly rooted in the foundations of craftsmanship and combines art and science, sensitivity and great technical knowledge, mind and heart.

“For over 70 years, as the only cruise company to fly the Italian flag, – says Giuseppe Carino, Vice President Guest Experience and Onboard Revenues of Costa Crociere – we have been making Italian excellence known all over the world through our cruises. For this reason we are proud to have managed to bring on board one of the most important events for the pastry world, which will allow our guests to get to know the quality of the most representative dessert of our country and meet the greatest masters of the pastry art" .