Meet the man who has been chasing the world's best gelato since 2011

with three flavors.

Your avocado, which is my absolute favorite.

Very unusual to find avocado.

and it's very hard to make.

There's a place in Rome called Nev di Latte that also has it.

Peter Cohen has been chasing great gelato around the world since 2011.

Although Italy is where he does most of his in-person research he's also found top-rated gelato places in Canada and in his hometown of Montreal where we are today.

Fiore is run by Walid Boustani and his family.

The chef trained in Italy, ran several gelaterias in Beirut and won awards for two of his flavors this Montreal shop opened just last year.

Peter Cohen's passion for the Italian artisanal ice cream began on a father and son trip to Italy.

The journey has continued for 15 years.

tasting gelato from Australia to England.

He's also created his own personal online world gelato map.

It now counts over 1,770 gelato destinations with a rating system, although Cohen hasn't yet been able to get to all of them himself.

They have passion fruit, they have watermelon.

Ironically, the retired menswear manufacturer's current local favorite is in an area that used to be known as the heart of Montreal's Jewish textile and garment district.

I've tried some very unusual flavors, but no matzo ball and brisket were not, and I don't think I would have chosen those.

I'm Ellen Besner, and this is what Jewish Canada sounds like for Wednesday, April 19th, 2026.

Welcome to Northstar, a podcast of the Canadian Jewish News, and made possible thanks to the generous support of the Ira Gluskin and Maxine Grunowski-Gluskin Charitable Foundation.

Cohen

has learned a lot about gelato making.

He even attended a half-day course for amateurs at the famed Gelato University in Bologna.

But there's always more to discover which is why he likes nothing more than cycling to a new destination and chatting with the artisans.

There's often more than food science behind their gelato stories.

How Cohen judges whether a gelateria gets top rating on his map is also down to how it tastes and texture.