Pastry Chef Federica Russo Galla Awarded Cortemilia's Nocciola d'Oro 2026

The municipality of Cortemilia has announced that its most prestigious honour, the Nocciola d’Oro 2026, will be presented to Italian pastry chef Federica Russo Galla during the opening ceremony of the National Hazelnut Fair. Russo Galla, born in 1994 in Acqui Terme, runs the laboratory of the historic Fabrizio Galla pastry shop in San Sebastiano da Po and has overseen its artisanal production since 2015. She has previously earned the 1st Prize Delifrance and the Best Female Pastry Chef award at the 2018 World Pastry Stars. In recent weeks she also received the title of Maestra dell’Arte della Cucina Italiana – Sezione Pasticceria from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture at Palazzo Chigi. Mayor Marco Zunino said the award recognises her contribution to promoting Italy’s culinary heritage and the prized Piedmont hazelnut. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, 22 August at 18:00 in the Palazzo Municipale di Cortemilia.