Every week brings another excuse to fall down a food rabbit hole. Ours recently led to edible Jell-O art, unexpected snacks, and a new novel that left us hungry for more. Here’s what’s been monopolizing our group chats lately.

Forget everything you think you know about Jell-O shots. Brooklyn duo Jen Derman and Jack Schramm have spent the last few years elevating the nostalgic frat party staple into edible art with their wholesale and catering company Solid Wiggles, which makes jewel-like cocktail and NA jellies inspired by everything from mango mezcal margaritas to aperitivo spritz for New York’s most chic parties and restaurants. 

Their new cookbook, Solid Wiggles, brings that same playful creativity home, with approachable recipes for first-timers alongside ambitious, showstopping creations for anyone ready to embrace the wiggle.

In late June, thousands of specialty food makers descended on New York City for the annual Summer Fancy Food Show, where brands debut everything from tomorrow’s pantry staples to delightfully niche snacks. Here are three standouts we can’t stop thinking about.

→ Savory popcorn has officially graduated from movie night, with exhibitors piling on flavors like chili crisp, cacio e pepe, and raspberry rose with added collagen peptides, biotin, and vitamin E, turning this humble snack into something that feels more at home on a charcuterie board or in a medicine cabinet than in a big plastic bowl in front of the TV.

→ Dates keep popping up in unexpected places. From rich, caramel-like date syrup to snack bars and confections, this ancient fruit showed up in countless forms as brands continue to embrace naturally sweetened ingredients with more personality than plain sugar. It didn’t hurt that Saudi Dates took center stage as this year’s official show partner, either.

→ Cultured butter is becoming more, well, cultured. Infusions like seaweed, smoked salt, and fermented garlic are transforming our favorite pantry staple into a playground for bold flavors.

Together with Silver Brothers

Silver Brothers is a New York State farm, distillery, and tasting room located in the Hudson Valley that focuses on creating terroir-driven whiskeys from estate-grown grain and select New York State farms.

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Chef, restaurateur, and TV host Eddie Huang, whose bestselling memoir Fresh Off the Boat inspired the hit ABC sitcom of the same name, is back on bookstore shelves with his first novel, Come Undone. The romantic comedy follows a globetrotting food show host whose approach to relationships is a lot more fast food than fine dining. Here’s Huang on his death row meal, the restaurants he misses most, and life beyond the kitchen.

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Just when you thought baked beans had reached their final form, Bush’s three limited-edition summer flavors are finally hitting store shelves: Dill Pickle, Apple Pie, and, somehow, Rocket Pop. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it’s brilliant marketing or pure culinary chaos.

The Menu! In a film built around impossibly elaborate fine dining, it’s a simple cheeseburger that delivers the most satisfying bite. Actor Ralph Fiennes cooks the burger himself, impressing consulting chef John Benhase with his skills.