'When you roast the nuts yourself, you have 10 times as much flavour.' He regrets that many ice cream parlours opt for ready-made ingredients out of convenience. The use of home-made ingredients is also one of his trademarks. We stopped in at the Sugar Bowl after wandering Old Town on a warm afternoon. 'I had tasted a similar ice cream in Venice, but I tried to improve the taste,' he told La Dernière Heure newspaper. So many flavors to choose from and made fresh daily. Romero was praised for his special flavours: cinnamon-caramel-pecan, litchi-raspberry, lemon-mint or vanilla with dalgona Korean candy pieces.ĭrawing on its Latin American roots, the Belgian brand also offers unusual exotic fruits, such as guava and lulo.īut it was a mouth-watering combination of Sri Lankan cinnamon, caramelised pecans and sea salted caramel that propelled Pepe into the top 100.

The awards were judged by enthusiasts and professionals. The staff was nice to us in a grandmotherly kind of way, and often threw in an extra piece of fried fish and extra scoop of ice cream. In 2019, Romero was awarded the title of 'best young Belgian', earning a place in the grand finale of the festival in Rome. The award comes from the Italian Gelato Festival World Master competition, launched in 2010 and staged every four years.Ĭlaiming to be the most prestigious ice cream competition in the world, 22 countries participated this year. Under the name Artisan Glacier Pepe’s, the manufacturer boasts three businesses in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Etterbeek, as well as Pepe’s Mobile, a retro tricycle (pictured) that plies city parks and streets. Artisan ice-cream maker José Romero has reached the top 100 in an acclaimed Italian ice-cream competition, reports Bruzz.

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