Summer holidays like Memorial Day and July 4th spark memories for Victoria Cosner, executive chef at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards—specifically, the smell of wafting smoke in the summer heat transporting her back to childhood cookouts. “The grill is a place for everyone to gather outside with friends and family, play around with a little fire, and share some laughs,” Cosner says.
Cosner, who cut her culinary teeth in Charlottesville’s food-forward restaurant scene, is out to prove that grills aren’t just for burgers and dogs—they’re just as suitable for sweets as well—so she concocted a recipe for a grilled peach shortcake to justify spending more time cooking outside. She says, “The high heat sears the sugars in the peaches, creating a perfectly smoky sweet peach that sends me over the moon.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2026 issue.
