The best meals usually have a few things in common: locally grown food, people you genuinely enjoy being around, and nowhere to be but where you are.
We're fortunate to live somewhere where true farm-to-table living is part of everyday life, not just a restaurant concept. Fresh produce is never too far away, world-class local wine is always within reach, and gathering around the table feels naturally connected to the rhythm of the Valley. But summer seems to soften things a little.
The routines lighten. Sunsets stretch later into the evening. Bedtimes become slightly more negotiable. Dinner starts in the kitchen, ends outside, and somehow lasts longer than expected. There's less urgency this time of year. Less rushing, less scheduling, and more space to simply enjoy where you are and who you're with.
For Anna Vocino, founder of Eat Happy Kitchen and author of the bestselling Eat Happy cookbook series, that simplicity is often the whole point. Anna has called the Santa Ynez Valley home long enough to know where the best produce is and exactly what to do with it. It's a place that suits her well. She's built a following around the idea that good food doesn't need to be complicated — just seasonal, real, and made with care.
In the Santa Ynez Valley, that's less a cooking philosophy and more just a way of life. Summer meals are built around whatever looks best that week at Finley Farms, the Roblar Farm Stand, or Motley Crew Marketplace in Buellton; grilled proteins, fresh herbs straight from the garden, stone fruit ripening on the counter, and vegetables that don't need much more than olive oil and salt. The grill runs constantly; the oven stays off. Her fridge looks like a green herb garden from June through August.
The goal is never perfection. It's keeping things seasonal, relaxed, and easy enough that there's always room for one more person at the table... or one more peach, sautéed in butter and vanilla, for whoever happens to stop by.
Her Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad captures that feeling well. Stone fruit gets a quick turn on a hot grill until caramelized and just soft, then lands alongside creamy burrata, peppery arugula, avocado, and a simple balsamic-thyme dressing. It comes together in minutes, looks stunning on an outdoor table, and tastes like the Valley in July. This is the kind of recipe you'll want to make on repeat all summer long.
GRILLED PEACH AND BURRATA SALAD
Recipe by Anna Vocino
(Serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
Salad:
- 2 peaches, sliced in half, pit discarded
- 4 cups arugula
- 1/2 of an English cucumber, sliced
- 2 balls of fresh burrata, halved into 4 servings
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and chopped into chunks
- 7-10 basil leaves, stacked, rolled up, and chopped into thin slices for garnish
Dressing:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
DIRECTIONS
- Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat or a gas grill to 450 degrees, and grill the peach halves until they start to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat while assembling the salad.
- Split the arugula into 4 serving dishes, then top the arugula with the grilled peach halves, cucumber, burrata, and avocado chunks.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salads, garnish with the fresh chopped basil, and serve while the peach halves are still warm.
*Recipe originally published in Eat Happy Too, then revised and updated.