The hills of Agugliano and the sea of Senigallia, the experimentation and technique typical of jazz, the family tradition and the strong inclination to technology and innovation, the classicism of chocolate and the ability to deal with changes in taste: to change the history of such a popular product, for all budgets, like ice cream, you need to have the desire to take it even beyond modernity . Music (it is appropriate to say) and score by Paolo Brunelli, born in 1965, from the Marches, Master of the homonymous Gelateria Cioccolateria in the province of Ancona.

Photo by brambillaserrani.it

Let’s start right from the music. All his creative experience seems to be guided by music and brought back to music. What values does it bring you?
Music, jazz in particular, has been a part of my life for a long time and is still a part of it today. It led me to discover an important model to work on: knowing the technique in an iron way to then strongly develop improvisation and, improvising and experimenting, incorporate as much technique as possible to reach a higher level.</p >

The family business has deep roots, in 1934 in Agugliano. How important is it to have grown up in a family of restaurateurs, how important is family tradition in the ability to improvise and experiment?

Having a background of taste memories is essential in my opinion. The ability to recognize tastes, to know how to dominate the sense of smell, also in relation to traditional cuisine, is very important for developing one’s own perception. Experimenting in the cold and in the pastry also passes through these memories, these experiences, because it is the basis of knowing how to innovate. Since the early 1980s I have been able to develop my career, also by being at my mother’s side. And, every step was devoted to innovation and experimentation, having clear in mind, however, what the foundations were.

Best chocolate ice cream in Italy according to the Gelaterie d’Italia 2017 guide, three cones also according to the 2018 guide are just the latest awards. How much are these prizes worth?

They are certainly important, from a business point of view and from a personal point of view. But I am convinced that these acknowledgments must come after a process of credibility and a lot of work. The end consumer recognizes the rewards, but truly appreciates the journey you’ve made. If there isn’t a real and sincere relationship with the consumer, if there isn’t research, training and experimentation, the awards and titles remain only on paper and don’t offer the added value they deserve.</span

Is the quality of the raw materials or continuous research more important in the success of a pastry chef and an ice cream parlor?

Definitely both. The high quality of the raw materials is certainly the basis of the product. But personal and professional growth, research, the desire to work on oneself and on one’s own product must be grafted onto this basis. In this sense, the modern gelateria must look to the future, must be able to offer a product that winks at technology and innovation. The new generations must continually work on training, even in sectors and areas not strictly connected to ours. I’m thinking of beverages, of traditional cooking classes. We must always be growing, in formation.

Chocolate is certainly a distinctive mark of your own and of your creations. But if you had to choose your favorite flavour, which one would you recommend?

I would say hazelnut, among the most traditional. But we must never forget that even the pushed tradition must be innovated, it must be expanded. This is what I also recommend to the younger generations: always innovate, look for new paths to taste. I am thinking of gastronomic grafts, olive oil, spices, cheeses. We must also be able to look at new tastes. There are already new frontiers in this sense. We have to work on those.

Photo by brambillaserrani.it

Ice cream in particular is becoming a real Italian excellence. What are the margins for improvement and what are the risks of excessive diffusion?

We must take advantage of technology, innovation and training to overturn the sector and always recompose it according to new rules. New ferment is maturing, the desire to innovate is growing because the challenges are new. I could say that the old ice cream parlor is now dead. If we have the ability to always study and create new styles, we break down the risk of Italian sounding and push the limit to reach further and further. In doing so, the Italian school will never be reachable.

After Avanguardia Gelato, he also published Gelateria for all seasons. From creamy to pralines, 365 days of delicious ideas. Is the secret also in sharing experiences?

Never be afraid to share your experiences. Because the exchange of knowledge remains decisive even in the sectors of haute patisserie and ice cream. We almost need to share our ideas, even small personal secrets.

“Gelateria for all seasons” in addition to being the title of your latest book, is it also a strong vision in overcoming the limit of periodicity?

Inevitably, ice cream is a product that is mainly consumed in the summer. But there are ways to overcome this limit. Also in this case innovation comes to meet us. The strategies can be different and all valid. We have to take advantage of technology to bring ice cream into the homes of Italians, so as to be able to consume it even in winter. We have to bring modern ice cream to haute cuisine with experimentation. We have to work on seasonal adjustment through the proposal of ever new tastes linked to the quality of the products and through contaminations with traditional cuisine.