When gelato creates social value

Lucia Lauro is a social worker who has worked with children and young people since 1999. Passionate about social organisation, she specialised at LUMSA in the planning and management of social policies and public services, imagining innovative responses to the problems of the city of Palermo and running several pioneering projects against violence on minors and for the employment of care leavers. In recent years she attended advanced management training, first at the School of Civil Economy and then at Bocconi's School of Management. She has been tutor and then lecturer in Social Work Methods and Techniques at the University of Palermo, conveying to young people that social work is a profession where emotions and creativity are necessary, and has worked on social evaluation, ISO organisational assessment and social impact assessment. In 2016 she founded the social enterprise Cooperativa Rigenerazioni onlus and led the Cotti in Fragranza project and its spin-offs Al Fresco and Casa San Francesco Rooms, experimenting with innovative educational models for the social and work reintegration of young prisoners, former prisoners and young people at risk of marginalisation, in catering and tourist hospitality. Today she is project manager of the Don Calabria Foundation's innovative start-ups across Italy.

«You would never imagine how hard it is to condense an emotion into a scoop of gelato; to express a feeling in a tiny little world, a microcosm — and a freezing cold one at that! Well… you will never think about it until you find yourself doing it. And that is what happened to me.» Giovanna Musumeci is the Master gelato maker of Randazzo, on the slopes of Etna. She grew up in the sweet world of gelato thanks to her father Santo, a gelato maker since 1967. Despite an academic background in Economics at the University of Catania and a master's in marketing and communication, in 2010 she chose to follow the family passion for gelato, leaving behind her work in regional planning. A pupil of Master Luca Caviezel, she deepened her training and arrived at Sherbeth in 2014, her first time competing on her own. So began a promising career that in 2016 would lead her to win the prestigious Premio Caviezel, named after her own Master, and in 2017 the Foodies Challenge, Gelato category. For Giovanna, gelato must be absolutely “good”, comforting, and must convey the emotion of the person who makes it and the passion that drives her choices in life and work. “A gelato is an emotion dressed in flavour and sensation, and above all it must speak of something… of you, of your experience, of the way you see life.” Giovanna Musumeci embodies the drive of the new generation of gelato makers who, with great pride, are carrying the excellence of artisanal gelato out into the world. Gelateria Santo Musumeci, also awarded 3 Cones by Gambero Rosso, is an essential stop for lovers of gelato and granita who come to Randazzo from all over the world to enjoy unique flavours that speak of Sicily, of Etna and of the land, in a contemporary key. Giovanna has been on the Technical Board of the Sherbeth Festival since 2018.

A professional with over fifteen years of experience in social planning, project management and the development of local networks. His path springs from the meeting of economic studies, civic commitment and social innovation, consolidated through consulting, training and the coordination of complex third-sector projects in Italy and abroad. He is currently President of the Consorzio Libera Terra Mediterraneo, a network of social and agricultural cooperatives that manage assets confiscated from the mafia and promote sustainable, high-social-impact development models. In this role he works to strengthen the cooperatives' organisational, economic and strategic capacity, build ethical supply chains and create growth opportunities in local communities through the social economy and the productive reuse of confiscated assets.

Patrick and Daniela are a couple in work and in life who in 2020 opened Idem Congelato, a small artisan gelateria in Reggiolo, after studying and working in fields other than gelato and pastry. Their experience began in adulthood and developed through specific training that allowed them to turn a dream into a concrete reality. At first Patrick concentrated on gelato, while Daniela looked more after the pastry side, though both remained involved in every phase of design and production. For some years now they have expanded their range with large leavened cakes and brioches made with their own sourdough starter, which is mainly Patrick’s domain, while Daniela devotes herself more and more to gelato, with particular attention to flavours designed to meet needs related to allergies, intolerances and dietary choices, especially plant-based ones. Their work unites versatility, research and care for the customer, with the aim of offering an artisan product that is contemporary, inclusive and tailored to different needs.

A freelance journalist, she spent half her life between Milan and Rome before returning to Turin, where her suitcase is always packed. She writes about food and travel to discover and tell stories, works as a food critic and has a background in marketing and communication. She loves cooking, pizza, gelato, cocktails, the sea, the woods, the rain, going to the cinema alone and laughing out loud. She adores change and transformation — to feel alive.