Ice cream and summer are a ubiquitous pair. Just thinking about hot weather conjures an image of a creamy scoop melting down its cone. And while there will always be a special, nostalgic place in our hearts for sugary ice cream bars served from a white truck playing music, ICE alumni are employing their talents to take frozen desserts to the next level. From local ingredients and imaginative flavors to skilled techniques, these chefs are redefining summer treats.

Epicurious shares four approaches to frozen dessert with an amateur cook, advanced home cook, pro chef from ICE and food scientist's spins on the ice cream sundae. On this episode, Chef Rory Macdonald prepares passionfruit three ways in a restaurant and Instagram-worthy treat.

While white mushrooms and the ubiquitous baby bellas are popular in supermarkets across America, summer brings out more uniquely shaped and flavored mushroom varieties, ripe for creativity in the kitchen.

Honeybees are obviously known for making honey, but if the current decline and death of thousands of bee colonies continues, there will be a worldwide food shortage very soon.

In the culinary world, hotel restaurants and food operations get a bad rap. Such places are perceived as lacking creativity and limiting environments for chefs and dining providers. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Cultures around the world use grilling to cook outdoors. That includes Thailand, where Chef Arnold Myint visited on a 17-day trip to honor his Thai mother’s memory. There he drew inspiration from the country’s ever-present street food.

Prior to the advent of social media, marketing for chefs and restaurateurs included constantly working to attract journalists to dine in their restaurants, hosting events for hotel concierges to help with word of mouth and coveting good reviews from critics. The world of culinary marketing was forever changed in 2010 when Instagram launched. It’s true that Facebook and Twitter were vehicles of communication, but the popularity of posting food photos caused a seismic shift in restaurant social media — one that has a direct impact on the bottom line.

Here are my experiences and answers to the most common questions about trying a plant-based lifestyle.

I would like to start this blog by letting you know that I just completed my practical exam for Module 2, and my chef told me that my food was OUTSTANDING. If for whatever reason you decide to exit this web page before you reach the end of the post, at least you now know that I am a perfect human. JK, but I have to admit that receiving such positive feedback was a momentary boost to my ego, and for that I am very grateful. Feel free to send me any further congratulatory sentiments. Thanks so much.

It’s the height of ice cream season and as good a time as any to take a look at some of the science behind the scoop.