Star Kitchen: Aaron Sanchez's Weekend Escape

When Aarón Sánchez and his wife, Ifé, were looking for a weekend escape from New York City, they agreed on one thing: "We wanted a real country vibe," says Aarón. "We didn't care about modern appliances or anything — except a gas stove. I won't cook on electric." They settled on an 1870 house in Greenport, N.Y., on the eastern end of Long Island, where they could cook fresh produce from nearby farms and seafood from the bay.

During the kitchen redo, Aarón and Ifé faced an important question: butcher-block island or table? They opted for a table — an antique from a local store that Ifé sanded and painted — because they wanted to be able to hang out in the kitchen, not just cook there.

One of Aarón and Ifé's favorite touches is this antique wall cabinet. The previous owner bought it as a hutch, cut off the legs and mounted it to the wall, transforming it into a cupboard.

Aarón keeps books about food policy and history on this shelf from a secondhand store in New York City. "I read about food history so I sound like I know what I'm talking about on TV," he jokes.

As practitioners of Buddhism, Aarón and Ifé keep three Buddhas in their kitchen, but not just for spiritual reasons: "They have good advice for cooking," Ifé says.