Photo= Shohei Nakagawa (left) and his mother, Mariko Nakagawa, hold their granita that won an Italian competition = Ukyo Ward, Kyoto

Two gelato chefs in Kyoto won an international competition held in Italy, homeland of "granita," a type of gelato. They are the first Japanese to win it. Granita made using the same recipe has been sold at a shop in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, since July. The pair enthusiastically said, "We want to promote the charm of authentic granita."

Mariko Nakagawa and her third son, Shohei Nakagawa, run the gelato shop "SHINPACHI CHAYA," located near the Togetsu-kyo Bridge in Arashiyama in Kyoto. Granita is a sherbet-like ice confection called "Italian shaved ice" and is so popular it's even served for breakfast in Italy. Last year, Nakagawa and her son took part in the competition "Nivarata, the International Festival of Sicilian Granita," held in eastern Sicily, for the first time. They got good results, receiving second prize in the division for new works.

This year, they participated in the competition again in another division for confectionery techniques and recipes. The theme was "Strawberry Granita" using strawberries and lemons. Nakagawa and her son devised theirs using two kinds of foreign liquors to add flavors and carefully selected mineral water. Then, they received the top rating among the 15 teams who passed preliminary rounds. The judges praised them highly, saying "Italy was defeated by Kyoto." "They are the first Asian granita chefs to receive recognition from Italy."

The pair enthusiastically said, "We want to share authentic flavors that have a refreshing taste." One granita costs 500 yen. For further information, call SHINPACHI CHAYA at 075-861-0117