The corn-shaped pastry at Lysée in New York City sparked a nationwide fascination with corn-based sweets, with chefs and bakers experimenting with corn as a central dessert ingredient, from viral pastries to inventive takes like elote danishes, corn gelato and corn croissant egg tarts. Heirloom corn varieties sourced from Mexico are also being used to highlight the ingredient's sustainability and unique flavors, with chefs like Fátima Juárez at Komal in Los Angeles using chalqueña cremoso to create desserts like nicuatole jelly with distinct milky and nutty notes.

A massive meteor strike in Charlevoix, Quebec, created a unique landscape that, over millions of years, developed into fertile farmland now central to the region's vibrant food culture and agro-tourism. Today, chefs and producers across Charlevoix celebrate local ingredients through inventive cuisine, rooted in both natural history and a deep pride in place, writes Jim Robbins.

Heston Blumenthal has introduced a menu at The Fat Duck aimed at diners using weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. The Mindful Experience menu features 20% to 50% smaller portions, reflecting a growing trend towards healthier eating driven by appetite-suppressing medications, and is priced about $100 lower than the standard menu.

Chef Mashama Bailey, after years of acclaim in Savannah, has opened L'Arrêt by the Grey in Paris, adapting Black Southern cuisine to a new cultural and culinary landscape. Facing challenges with ingredients and language, she's reinterpreting her roots through a global lens, continuing a legacy of Black American cooks shaping food far from home. "Instead of soft shell crab, I'm going to use langoustines," she said, "...I'm excited to push the narrative of Black food on the move, I want young cooks in America to see that."

Chetna Makan shares two corn-based recipes inspired by Indian cuisine. The first is a corn on the cob curry from Maharashtra, featuring coconut milk, coriander, mint and green chilies, which makes for a comforting dish best served with fluffy rice. The second is coriander mint chutney butter corn, where chutney butter, made with coriander, mint and lemon juice, brings fresh flavor to charred corn cobs.

Chef Mai Pham of Star Ginger Asian Grill and Noodle Bar in Sacramento, Calif., shows us how to make watermelon ice pops. Chef Mai was inspired to create this recipe after slurping down many watermelon-passionfruit drinks on a recent trip to Vietnam. It’s a fun dessert and also a great garnish for drinks -- with or without alcohol. The brilliant red juice makes these watermelon ice pops a beautiful and refreshing treat. Watch this and many more watermelon recipe demos here!