A World of Tiramisù, the final and most personal publishing project by Alessandra “Ale” Gambini, will be officially presented in Treviso on Saturday, October 10, as part of the 10th edition of the Tiramisù World Cup.
Ale, who passed away in 2024, was an Italian cookbook author, food writer, recipe developer, and advocate for authentic Italian food culture in the United States. The book brings together 44 creative reinterpretations, along with Ale’s reinterpretation of the traditional Matilde Vicenzi tiramisù, organized through the four seasons and inspired by her Italian roots, her life in California, and the flavors she encountered through years of travel, teaching, and cooking.
The project was brought to completion by her husband and creative partner, Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni, with the support of Matilde Vicenzi, Official Sponsor of the publication.
Ale had worked on A World of Tiramisù for years, carefully developing its recipes, ideas, and details. When illness forced her to stop working on the project, OTTO asked what she wanted him to do with the book. Her answer was simply: “You choose.”
After her passing, OTTO found her recipes, notes, and sketches exactly where she had left them, many documented through her own photographs. Those two words became the starting point for a clear decision: to complete the project without reinventing it, preserving as faithfully as possible Ale’s voice, taste, and original creative sensibility.
“Completing this book did not mean trying to add something to Ale, but listening to what she had already left behind,” says Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni. “The recipes, images, notes, and ideas were still there. Our task was to give them the final form they deserved. Presenting the book in Treviso together with Matilde Vicenzi and the Tiramisù World Cup makes this moment particularly meaningful.”
A World of Tiramisù begins with the foundations of the iconic Italian dessert: its identity, Ale’s Golden Rules, ingredients and creative substitutions, eggs, allergens, food safety, equipment, and techniques. Only after establishing those foundations does the book invite readers to experiment.
The philosophy behind the book is captured in a quotation attributed to Pablo Picasso and selected as its epigraph: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Tradition is therefore not treated as a limitation, but as the foundation from which creativity can begin. The reinterpretations move through winter, spring, summer, and autumn, combining Italian culinary memory, seasonal ingredients, and influences drawn from different experiences and cultures.
The “World” in the title reflects Ale’s own life: from her Milanese roots to California, from travels with her husband and family to encounters with flavors, people, and traditions from different countries. Tiramisù remains profoundly Italian, while becoming a language through which Ale tells a wider story of the world.
The recipes were conceived with accessibility in mind, using recognizable ingredients and clear steps without sacrificing refinement in the final result. The book is designed both for home cooks and for pastry chefs and culinary professionals who may use Ale’s ideas as inspiration for their own interpretations.
The visual dimension is equally central. A World of Tiramisù is a 172-page hardcover volume, produced in Premium Color Quality with an airy, minimal, and elegant design that is contemporary yet intentionally timeless.
Photography is by Alan De Herrera, Ale’s friend and collaborator for nearly twenty years and someone with whom she had long dreamed of creating a book. Each tiramisù has its own visual identity, expressed through different compositions, textures, depth, and details.
The volume also includes a section featuring Ale’s original photographs, notes, and sketches, providing a direct look at the creative process from which the project originated.
Ale’s creations were brought to life under the culinary direction of Marco Pedron and the artistic supervision of Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni, with food styling by Anna Pedron and support from pastry teams in Treviso and Milan. Each dessert was prepared and presented for photography in keeping with Ale’s original recipes, images, and instructions. Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni also edited and produced the volume.
Ale’s relationship with Matilde Vicenzi began many years before the publication of the book. A longtime collaborator of the brand, she helped bring its Italian pastry tradition to American audiences through recipes, demonstrations, and culinary storytelling.
That relationship began with Giuseppe Vicenzi, longtime President of the Group, who recognized in Ale authenticity, passion, and a shared vision for promoting Italian pastry culture abroad. Their collaboration grew from common values and objectives well before the development of this publishing project.
Giuseppe Vicenzi passed away in 2025, the year of the company’s 120th anniversary. In the closing pages of A World of Tiramisù, their stories are connected through the dedication: “Dedicated to Alessandra Gambini and Giuseppe Vicenzi.”
The Tiramisù World Cup is also part of the path Ale built over the years. In California she founded the Tiramisù Club California, whose community now continues as the Ale Gambini Tiramisù Academy California in her honor. Today, Tiramisù World Cup & Tiramisù Academy, I Love Italian Food, and the Ale Gambini Tiramisù Academy California are recognized as Community & Industry Partners of the book.
The presentation in Treviso therefore represents more than a publishing launch. It brings together some of the professional and personal relationships that accompanied Ale’s work and reconnects Italy and California, Matilde Vicenzi and the Tiramisù World Cup. The most personal dimension of the project, however, remains family.
The book opens with the dedication: “In loving memory of Alessandra ‘Ale’ Gambini. For Angelica, her mother’s light.” Angelica, the daughter of Ale and OTTO, was present during the photographic production, appears in the book, and took the first photograph captured on set.
Another of Ale’s phrases summarizes the spirit in which the book is now being shared with readers: “Share your secrets in the kitchen; they’ll make someone else’s life better.” That principle continues to guide A World of Tiramisù.
AVAILABILITY AND OFFICIAL PRESENTATION
A World of Tiramisù and its Italian edition, Un mondo di Tiramisù, are now available in hardcover, with international online distribution through major sales channels: the English edition — A World of Tiramisù; the Italian edition — Un mondo di Tiramisù. A Portuguese-language edition is also planned.
ORDER THE HARDCOVER EDITIONS
Amazon.com — English edition
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION
Saturday, October 10, 2026 · 11:00 AM
Ca’ da Noal – Casa Robegan – Casa Karwath
Via Antonio Canova 38, 31100 Treviso, Italy
As part of the 10th Tiramisù World Cup.
A WORLD OF TIRAMISù
Author: Alessandra “Ale” Gambini
Edited and Produced by: Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni
Photography: Alan De Herrera
Culinary Direction: Marco Pedron
Official Sponsor: Vicenzi S.p.A.
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
Community & Industry Partners: Tiramisù World Cup & Tiramisù Academy, I Love Italian Food, Ale
Gambini Tiramisù Club California
MEDIA CONTACT
Maurizio “OTTO” De Togni
A World of Tiramisù · Ale Gambini Legacy
[email protected]
aworldoftiramisu.com · +1 310 428 1929 · IG: @aworldoftiramisu_official
Official Sponsor: Vicenzi S.p.A. – Matilde Vicenzi
Italy: matildevicenzi.it · International: matildevicenzi.com · USA: matildevicenzi.com/us
Event: Tiramisù World Cup – tiramisuworldcup.com
