Metz Culinary Management has introduced cooking classes at Freed-Hardeman University to give students hands-on culinary experience. The classes, led by Executive Chef Claude Tubbs, focus on approachable recipes such as sushi and pasta. The initiative has been popular, with classes quickly reaching their 25-student limit.

Portillo's will open a flagship restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, marking its fourth unit in the city and its 45th in the Chicago area. The 5,500-square-foot restaurant will seat 100 and offer pickup and delivery. Portillo's growth strategy has shifted in recent years, with the company exploring smaller prototypes and slowing expansion to focus on unit economics. After a strategic reset last year, Portillo's added eight new restaurants in 2025, and expects to add eight more this year.

Restaurants are elevating the consumer experience with visually engaging and interactive offerings such as food towers and sauce flights. With diners seeking more than affordability, chains are focusing on memorable moments, like Popeyes' chicken tender tower and exclusive sauce flight at The Surf Lodge, Red Robin's towering burger sliders and TGI Fridays' shareable appetizer towers. These offerings create social, shareable experiences, while brands like Chick-fil-A enhance guest engagement through personalized touches such as sauce sampling.

Houston's culinary scene has experienced a resurgence driven by its diverse immigrant population. Restaurants such as Aga's, Cajun Kitchen and Koffeteria showcase unique blends of cuisines, from South Asian to Vietnamese-Cajun fusion. Chefs such as John Nguyen and Vanarin Kuch draw from personal heritage to create innovative dishes, while establishments such as CasaEma and Maximo honor traditional cooking methods.

Registered dietitian Lauren Panoff offers practical tips to enhance meal nutrition without extensive preparation. Panoff's advice includes adding leafy greens like spinach and kale to various dishes, incorporating seeds such as chia and flaxseeds into meals for added nutrients, and using berries for their antioxidant benefits. She also suggests replacing meat with beans a couple of times a week to improve health and reduce costs, and swapping regular pasta for legume-based alternatives to increase protein and fiber intake.

Registered dietitian nutritionists Frances Largeman-Roth and Suzanne Dixon and RD Deborah Malkoff-Cohen highlight foods that can promote longevity and healthy aging, emphasizing the benefits of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fermented foods. Studies suggest dietary changes in midlife can add years to life. They recommend incorporating foods like leafy greens, fatty fish and extra-virgin olive oil, which are linked to reduced risks of heart disease and other age-related illnesses.

Chocolatier Andrey Dubovik showcases innovative techniques for creating unique bonbon effects in his book "Offbeat." Using tools such as an aluminum foil stamp for fractal patterns, a tea strainer for geometric textures, and a viscose cloth to generate static electricity for dynamic visual effects, Dubovik demonstrates that creativity can transform everyday objects into professional pastry tools.

Caribbean cuisine is experiencing a surge in popularity in Los Angeles, with a wave of new restaurants and dining experiences emerging in recent years. This movement is driven by chefs such as Kerline Ordeus, who launched the popular Haitian Knockout Kitchen, and establishments including Lucia, Amiguita and ABL, which offer a diverse range of Afro-Caribbean flavors.