The proprietor of Noi Due Gelato, Golan Chetrit, learned that the Gelato Festival World Masters took place the day before Yom
Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, when he received an offer to compete.
The Israeli native told JNS, “I said, ‘I have to design something that would connect with that. “We are skilled in making gelato. We chose to do something that embodies our sense of Italian design with a touch of the Mediterranean.
On Tuesday, the lone kosher competitor in the North American semifinals was Chetrit’s Upper West Side Manhattan shop, which secured a spot in the three-day North American finals in Hollywood in September.
If it wins the competition, it will represent North America at the International in Italy in 2025.
Chetrit noted that the name of the savory “halva nagila” flavor comes from the Israeli folk song “Hava Nagila,” which is “a celebration song, and when you taste gelato, it is a fun, celebratory experience.”
He says the dessert’s name also has a more profound connotation.
Tahini, black sesame seeds, and silan date syrup were some ingredients and flavors Chetrit mixed with famous Middle Eastern cuisine. Tahini, sesame seeds, and halva have Iranian and Ethiopian roots, respectively. Israeli tahini and Jordanian silan are used by Chetrit.
“The base of the gelato I learned in Italy,” he remarked. When it comes to tahini, halva, and cuisine, we don’t disagree. I considered it a good story representing Israel, our home country, and the Jewish people.
Chetrit and his group “were brave enough to come to the competition with something unusual and that there was a story and something we stand for,” he told JNS, “it was something that the judges were impressed by,” said.
He believes it was helped by the punny (yet profound) submission’s tasty texture and outstanding balance, which Chetrit praised.
He said, “We sprinkled black sesame seeds on top.” And even though some folks had never tried halva before, they enjoyed a novel experience.
So many cultures are associated with that gelato flavor, and I’m pretty proud of our neighborhood and Israel on its Independence Day, he said.
“We approached the situation confidently and handled everything from the heart.”
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