The story of Gianluca Trisolini: from the province to the podium in Italy

He climbed to the top step of the podium: at 27 years old, Gianluca Trisolini from Mottoli is the national chocolate making champion in the 2023 Belcolade Award competition. He came first, after a journey that lasted about 6 months with dozens and dozens of competitors from all over Italy . And the young pastry chef was able to win over the jury with a truly precious recipe: chocolate and attachment to the territory. Because the work he created - and which earned him the prestigious award - is a sculpture over one metre, a hymn of love for Taranto and Puglia combined with the theme of sustainability.

«I'm still in disbelief. In our field, it is among the most important competitions in the world of chocolate and pastry making at a national level. It was a fantastic experience, professionally stimulating and humanly rich in exchanges. I thank the jury and the organizers of the competition for this great opportunity. The level of the participants was very high, with complex tests. At the beginning my membership was born almost for fun, then it grew and led me to believe in it more and more. Until the finish line. And now the emotion is really great."

The final, in Milan, involved three tests: the creation of a low-sugar praline, a gluten-free snack and a real chocolate sculpture. Gianluca Trisolini created a project with a focus on Taranto, in relation to the theme of sustainability requested by the competition. «I chose to talk about my land, creating a chocolate turtle placed on the waves of the sea, among various jets. I immediately imagined the Caretta Caretta turtle, an animal at risk of extinction which, in our seas, finds an ideal habitat. And then I also created some wind turbines, a symbol of renewable energy, and a dahlia to draw attention to climate change which affects nature in many aspects." A work of extraordinary skill which, once again, demonstrated this boy's strong bond with his origins. Moreover, he had already demonstrated his attachment with the "Mottolozzo", a traditional Italian dessert adapted in name and taste to the city of Mottola - where his pastry shop is based - composed of homemade brioches and ice cream and whipped cream.

Already awarded as the best national emerging ice cream maker, a young entrepreneur from southern Italy, Gianluca Trisolini also has training in cake design and chocolate processing. Now he is also the new Italian champion in the world of chocolate making. At the same time, he cultivates a passion for music: he is a violin teacher, graduated from the Piccinni conservatory in Bari.

A jury of the highest level will decide the winners of the Belcolade Award. Starting with the president, Maestro Davide Malizia, world pastry champion and coach of the Italian national pastry team who among his awards boasts the Sucre d'or as the best sugar artist in the world, the Star of the World Pastry Star, the Best Award Pastry chefs of the world by Iginio Massari and the parchment in the Golden Lion of Venice for professional merit. Other jurors: Francesco Elmi, Emanuele Valsecchi, Rocco Scutellà, Marco De Vivo, Luca Mannori (world pastry champion), Thierry Bamas (among his titles, also that of Meilluer Ouvrier de France Pâtissier in 2011).