A titan of Italian pastry drawing fans to the country’s fashion capital. Gianluca Fusto is a master craftsman of classic techniques but brings his own voice to every creation, standing out for his stylish, minimalist aesthetic. His flagship store is a must-visit for anyone interested in exquisite pastry and chocolate. Fusto Milano is an expansive boutique, research lab, workshop, and event space, and a dream come true for Gianluca when he opened in 2020 with his wife and business partner, Linda. “Pastry is like an alphabet,” he says, “in which the letters are the ingredients, and if we know these letters and the technique well, we can compose something exceptional.”

BRIX Desserts is one of a kind in the United Arab Emirates, serving the only dessert tasting experience in the Middle East. Pastry chef Carmen Rueda Hernandez designs her menus as multi-sensory experiences, guiding diners to gastronomic destinations from Japan to Mexico, or through the four seasons, as they try her award-winning creations and drink pairings. She has worked at El Bullí and Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, and runs an all-female team in Jumeirah Fishing Harbor, Dubai.

When Pâtisserie Rhubarbe arrived on the Montreal pastry scene in 2010, it shook things up, setting new standards of expertise, freshness, and seasonality for cakes and pastries. Chef Stéphanie Labelle, inspired to work in a kitchen by Anthony Bourdain, and with experience at Pierre Hermé, blends sweet and savory, floral and herbal, to demonstrate the reach of local produce and share new flavor experiences with customers, from pistachio dacquoise topped with corn chantilly and wild blueberries, to a melba eclair made with verbena yogurt and peach compote, and a Paris-Brest with lime, strawberry, and tarragon. And, of course, plenty of rhubarb when it’s in season.

In a country famed for its appetite for beautiful pastry, cakes, and chocolate, Pâtisserie Asako Iwayanagi stands out for its elaborate parfait desserts, tall glasses of layered cakes, mousses, sorbet, and fruit that change with the seasons and resemble miniature terrariums. Parfait Bijou Raisin is built around a grape sorbet and feta gelato, with pine and shiso, grape, matcha, and lemon jellies, pistachio granola, chestnut mascarpone mousse, and vincotto sauce; each comes with a map. Iwayanagi previously worked in textiles and her eye for color and texture runs through her work, while the spacious store is a brutalist backdrop of gray concrete. There are also breads, gelato, crepes, and afternoon tea to pair with Japanese, tea, coffee, and sake.

Yann Menguy broke some hearts when he closed his Paris boutique, but his Martinique pâtisserie is well worth the detour. The highly skilled pastry chef may have swapped the Seine for sun and sand, but he’s still creating classics like his popular vanilla tart and kouign-amann along with exotic fine pâtisserie such as Le Mont Fuji with yuzu and pineapple, a lime and coconut religieuse, and a lifelike mango-shaped cake. An exceptional example of marrying classical pastry techniques with island flavors and attitude.