The owner of a hugely popular ice cream parlour in Northumberland says he's 'over the moon' at scooping a gold national award.
Domenico Gregorio, who runs the Ciccarelli gelato ice cream business in Blyth, is celebrating after winning a gold medal and a trophy, having impressed some of the best in the business with his sweet treats. He triumphed in the Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream Class of the National Ice Cream Championships 2022, beating rivals in the competition which has been running 77 years.
And, delighted at the win which he says has been his ambition for 30 years, he said: "I’m over the moon - can't believe it!" The awards are run by the Ice Cream Alliance, the industry’s UK trade association, and it sees hundreds of products submitted each year across 13 categories which also include 'alternatives' such as dairy-free, low-fat, high-protein and no-sugar varieties.
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Submissions are judged blind by ice cream experts and Domenico's vanilla flavour, served at his Ciccarelli parlour in South Beach - which has enjoyed previous success at the awards - went down a storm. He said: “I’m so proud of all the staff at Ciccarelli who worked so hard for this.
"We've been trying to win this for 30 years and it's such a massive achievement to win a Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream Class because it’s the one every ice cream maker enters.” His family firm has built up a proud reputation over the years and he credits quality ingredients - locally-sourced organic milk, pure ingredients and quality vanilla pods - for making his winning ice cream so special.
He sums it up as "simple, local and delicious" and says: "We Italians have a saying - when visiting an ice cream parlour, try the vanilla and try the pistachio ice creams. If those are good everything else will be.” Domenico’s mother came to the UK in 1956 and started working for an ice cream business in Newcastle. In 1966 both his parents then opened their own ice cream company in the city's West End.
“Ciccarelli started in 1966 with my parents buying an ice cream van," said Domenico. "They had five sons and we all worked in the business. We’ve grown from one ice cream van to 30."
He added: "We also run ice cream parlours and have a wholesale outlet with over 200 customers all over the North East. Basically, we do everything to do with ice cream - vans, parlours and wholesale.”
Zelica Carr, chief executive officer of the Ice Cream Alliance, said: "Congratulations to Domenico and all his team at Ciccarelli Ice Cream. The ice cream sector has had a challenging time over the last two years.
"Domenico and his team show that the sector has overcome these challenges and has bounced back better than ever for 2022 and the future.”
For more information on Ciccarelli Ice Cream visit: https://ciccarelligelato.co.uk
