When chefs participate in Kitchen Collaborative, they each bring a unique set of skills, experiences and ideation processes. So when multiple menu innovators begin churning out dishes within the same format or flavor profile, their collective interest often signals an emerging trend. In this recipe roundup, sandwiches and toasts crop up multiple times; it’s worth noting that they all—even the recipe featuring lamb bacon—skew toward the lighter side. Another common thread is the influence of Italian cuisine, with our contributing chefs sharing their own visions of fried dough ball bites, sausage-infused pasta noodles and pesto-injected burrata.

This edition has some wild cards, too—chile-garlic cheesecake, anyone? Dig into the following seven recipes to uncover new trends and spark fresh ideas.