SIGEP 2016

Yesterday I returned home tired but satisfied and enthusiastic after 3 days at SIGEP.  Sigep is a huge trade fair held every year in Rimini, Italy.  In it’s 37th year, Sigep is recognised worldwide as one of the most important trade fairs for all who work in the following industries; Gelato, Pastry, Chocolate, Coffee, Bakery, Pizza & Food Service.  Sigep 2015 boasted 187,233 visitors, many flying in from all over the world.  On display are all the very latest in machinery, baking trays, silicone moulds, raw materials, ingredients, packaging, furnishings and fittings. You can also see international contests and championships, demos, and seminars.

It can be quite overwhelming to try and take it all in, and it’s probably better to have an idea of what it is you want to see, because it would be hard, actually impossible to visit the whole fair in one day. I love the atmosphere at Sigep and it can be especially exciting as you can see the world’s Pastry Chef champions all gathered in one place.  This year Italy won the World Gelato Championship

This year I totally avoided the Gelato pavilion because all the exhibitors give away generous samples of their gelati and I know I have no self control.  I was working for the company Pavoni and spent most of my time in the pastry chef and cake decoration areas.  I was mainly working on the stand of Illimani, that sells the Pavoni products.  I loved working with the public and speaking to the many foreign professionals who had travelled to Rimini esepcially for Sigep. Working for Pavoni also allows me to be able to meet some of the best pastry chefs in Italy, and I feel incredibly priveleged for this opportunity.

Sigep is a great place to catch up with all my friends in the cake decorating world, and admire how talented they are. I try to run around and say hello to everyone I want to see, and although this isn’t always possible, this year I think I covered pretty much everyone!

Cake Design in Italy seems to have redimensioned a bit over the last couple of years, but I felt that this year there was a really good display of Italian cake talent, which complemented well the traditional Italian ‘pasticceria’ on display throughout the fair.

The collage of photos I added is just a tiny fraction of what you can see at Sigep.  The bottom left picture is World Champion 2015, Emmanuele Forcone with Paolo Griffa who is a super talented young chef who is also quite an amazing Pastry Chef.  Remember his name though because I am convinced great things are in his future!