AmalfiCoast Costiera Amalfitana

When the gates of Conca dei Marini opened, and the soft lights gleamed over delicate pastries, a curious hush descended over the audience. There, amid the sugar dust and the hum of anticipation, stood Pierre Hermé and Iginio Massari - two masters from different worlds of pastry - as honoured guests of Andrea and Nicola Pansa at the Santa Rosa Pastry Cup.

Bridging worlds: Hermé, Massari, Pansa

Pierre Hermé - often dubbed the "Picasso of Pastry" - comes from an Alsatian lineage of confectioners. He rose to prominence in Paris, mastering modern flavor combinations while preserving elegant restraint.
Iginio Massari, the Italian maestro from Brescia, is celebrated as "Maestro dei Maestri" — a reference point in Italian pastry, renowned for his approach to technique, precision, and dedication to evolving tradition.

The Pansa family, custodians of Pasticceria Pansa in Amalfi since 1830, are no less storied. Their shop, nestled in the heart of Amalfi's Piazza del Duomo, has become a landmark of taste and heritage. Over generations, they have woven local identity and pastry art, not merely serving sweets but preserving a living culture.

At the Santa Rosa Pastry Cup, Hermé was bestowed the title "Ambassador of Santarosa in the World" while Massari assumed the role of jury president. Their presence underscores how a local gastronomic tradition can resonate globally.

A sweet tradition: the Sfogliatella Santarosa

Central to the Cup is the Sfogliatella Santarosa — a variation of the beloved sfogliatella, born in the 18th century within the cloistered walls of the Monastery of Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini. Over time, the dessert became a defining pastry of the Amalfi Coast, distinguished by its delicate, flaky layers and creamy center.

Since its inception, the Santa Rosa Pastry Cup seeks to reinterpret this emblematic dessert through the eyes and hands of young pastry chefs. The competition evolves, inviting creativity while grounding itself in centuries-old roots.

Why this matters - for Amalfi and beyond

By enlisting figures like Hermé and Massari, the Santa Rosa Cup is no longer just a regional contest. It becomes a statement: that local identity and global excellence need not be adversaries. This convergence enhances the prestige of Amalfi's gastronomic heritage and signals ambition: to place the Coast on the map not only for its vistas, but for its sweets, its talent, its capacity for creative dialogue.

Looking ahead

Future editions of the Cup may continue to expand in scope, inviting dessert makers from around the world to wrestle with the Sfogliatella Santarosa - in its textures, its aromas, its symbolic resonance. And Pasticceria Pansa, under Andrea and Nicola, remains at the heart of that transformation, a guardian of taste and witness to its evolution.

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