Gelato University Teaches Art Of Italian Gelato-Making

If you're going to learn how to make gelato, you might as well learn from the experts.

At the Carpigiani University in Anzola dell'Emilia, Italy (outside of Bologna), folks from around the world are flocking to its gelato-making courses.

Carpigiani, located outside of Bologna, houses the world's biggest gelato machine, as well as the Museum of Gelato Culture and Technology. And in spite of the struggling economy, gelato-making is on the rise.

Founded in 2003, the university has nearly 7,000 students, the majority of which are not even from Italy. A one-week course is offered to become a gelato maker, but the four-week course earns students the title of "gelato master."

Americans Kerri Bancke and husband David Rasmussen were recently at Carpigiani so they can open a gelato shop in North Carolina. After being on the road endlessly working for the Department of Homeland Security, they're ready to focus on their love for gelato.

"American ice cream is very industrialized. This is more of an art than just food," Bancke told NPR's food blog The Salt.

Rasmussen added, "The experience we've had eating gelato here, we'd like to share that experience because not many people get the chance to just hop on a plane and come over to Italy and try some gelato. Now you will be able to eat that gelato. And for the people who have visited Italy, they'll be able to remember that experience by coming and eating our gelato."

It's a good business. 

"You spend in raw materials between two and three euros ever kilogram, and you sell it in Italy minimum at 15 to 20 euros," Valentina Righi, vice president of the Carpigiani Foundation, told The Salt. "So you have got minimum 75 percent of profit margin."