Three pastry chefs from Naples selected by Iginio Massari for the Panettone Day competition

Three pastry chefs from the province of Naples are among the 25 finalists of the sixth edition of the national Panettone Day competition.
Antonio Bellavia of the Eredi Vincenzo Bellavia pastry shop in Naples, Luca di Pietro of the Pasticceri Ranieri pastry shop in Naples and Antonio Tecchia pastry chef of the Vesuvio resort have been selected among the finalists who will compete at the final event of the Panettone Day competition, the initiative promoted by Braims in partnership with Novacart with the aim of celebrating and deseasonalizing a great icon of Italian pastry making, giving visibility to the most interesting artisanal realities of the Belpaese.
The creations of the three pastry chefs entered the list of 25 finalists out of nearly 200 panettoni that arrived from all over Italy and were judged by a team of experts led by maestro Iginio Massari, who reiterated the importance of the Panettone Day competition for the promotion of Italian and local gastronomic culture: "The winners of Panettone Day are not one, but 25. This competition involves almost the entire peninsula and this already represents a great achievement. All 25 finalists have won in a sector or have come first in their province or region. This is very important for cities where panettone has not yet conquered the palates of Italians and is not yet a tradition.”
Joy and pride for the pastry chefs who have seen their commitment, enthusiasm and great research rewarded, which accompany their work in the laboratory every day and which will guide them to the final challenge in September.
The final event will take place on September 15 at Sweety of Milano, the event dedicated to Italian pastry making during which the 25 finalists will present their creations before an exclusive jury led by Iginio Massari and composed of Galileo Reposo, Pastry Chef of Peck, Salvatore De Riso, famous pastry chef from the Amalfi Coast, food blogger Chiara Maci and the winner of the 2017 edition, Giancarlo Maistrello, who will nominate the winners of Best Traditional Panettone and Best Creative Sweet Panettone.
Starting in October, the 25 finalist panettoni will be on sale for the entire month in the temporary store located in an exclusive showcase in the heart of Milan, in Corso Garibaldi, which will offer visibility to the talented artisans and allow thousands of visitors to experience the excellence of Italian pastry making.