Training for competition · October 2026 · Treviso, Italy

Tiramisu
is
dope

One American. One competition. One obsession.

Dan from North Carolina enters the Tiramisu World Cup. This is the full story — training, failures, obsessions, and all.

Watch the Series Follow the Journey
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47
Practice batches (and counting)
1
Competition. (No backup plan.)
∞
Espresso consumed
Oct '26
Treviso, Italy

The Series

One Hundred Episodes.
One Destination.

Hover each episode to reveal the story.

EP 01
The Announcement
An American marketer enters Italy's most prestigious dessert competition. No dessert training. No fear.
Origin Story
EP 02
The Science of Tiramisu
Coffee extraction ratios, mascarpone fat content, and why every Italian thinks everyone else is doing it wrong.
Deep Dive
EP 03
All the Practice Batches
The training montage nobody asked for. My family is tired of tiramisu. I am not.
Training Arc
EP 04
The Italian Grandmother
I called a nonna in Treviso to fact-check my recipe. She was not gentle.
Field Research
EP 05
Departure Day
Packing espresso, mascarpone, and the audacity of an American who thinks he can compete.
Italy Bound
EP 06
Competition Day
The Tiramisu World Cup. Live coverage. Real stakes. Whatever happens, it's content.
The Main Event

The Journey

Eight months of obsession,
documented in full.

MAR
The Obsession Begins
MAY
Deep Research Phase
AUG
Recipe Locked
SEP
Final Preparations
OCT
Treviso, Italy

The Protagonist

Dan Russo.
American.
Tiramisu obsessed.

By day, a brand architect for B2B tech firms who builds brands and coaches companies on how to cut through the noise. By night (and most mornings after 5:30am CrossFit), dangerously obsessed with making the perfect tiramisu.

"I have some formal culinary training in college, but did not go near the pastry kitchens. I have strong opinions about tiramisu, and a very good espresso setup."

LearnAboutDan.com
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