A Cincinnati gelateria won big at a prestigious gelato competition this past weekend.
Over Labor Day weekend, María Liliana Biondo of uGOgelato at Findlay Market placed in the top three in the Gelato Festival World Masters’ North America Finals in Los Angeles. Biondo will now get to represent North America and compete against some of the best gelato artisans in the world in the 2026 World Finals this spring.
The competition is part of a four-year-long series of challenges to find the best gelato across five continents. It began in 2022 and will culminate in the final global competition in Italy in 2026. In Los Angeles, Biondo competed against 10 other artisan gelato masters from the U.S., Mexico and Canada, showcasing her “Mandorland” gelato, which features a base of natural almond, toasted almond and bitter almond, 70% Venezuelan chocolate, blood orange glaze, almond nougat and is finished with an orange zest spray.
“I created this flavor called ‘Mandorland’ because ‘mandorla’ means ‘almond’ in Italian, and Sicily is the Land of Almond,” Biondo explained to CityBeat. “I wanted to [fuse] my Sicilian heritage with my Latin American culture … It is a multisensorial experience and you will be discovering the multiple ingredients while you enjoy this gelato.”
Because the base of Mandorland is made with almond milk and the chocolate is free of milk proteins, it’s fully vegan, says Biondo, who specializes in making plant-based gelatos at uGOgelato. You can currently try Mandorland at the Findlay Market shop, or order a pint online.
At the competition, Juan Antonio Coyoli Maciel of Super Creamy Gelato Shop in Mexico City took top prize as Best Flavor North America 2025 for Lisi, which was inspired by the Mexican Dulce de Calabaza, a dessert made with Castilla pumpkins, coffee variegato and caramelized pumpkin seeds. He, Biondo and a third finalist, Francia Magsaysay of Francy’s Artisanal Ice Cream in Bergenfield, New Jersey, who created a passionfruit yuzu gelato swirled with white chocolate gelato and variegated with passionfruit reduction, will all compete in Italy next year.
uGOgelato, 1733 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. More information: ugogelato.com.
