Place tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with sugar and a little salt and pepper. Toss and spread tomatoes into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes at 400, then increase the oven to 450 and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and saute corn, onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil for 10 minutes. If you'd like to garnish your soup with some corn kernels, remove a few spoonfuls from the pot now and set aside. Once the tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the pot along with the roasted red pepper, chicken stock and bay leaf. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the corn is tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the half and half. Using a stand blender (in batches) or an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with whatever you like.