Summer is a state of mind that doesn’t have to end with Labor Day weekend.

For many, Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. Chef David Nayfeld of Che Fico in San Francisco sees things differently. “Summer basically starts on Labor Day and goes all the way until Halloween,” he says of the Bay Area.

For the starter, Nayfeld turns to a crunchy Caesar salad with a nostalgic nod to his early career. “It’s simple and doesn’t require me to work all day,” he says. Nayfeld appreciates the crispness of classic romaine, but he suggests chicories for anyone who wants to switch up the lettuce. Their slight bitterness complements the umami of the anchovies in the dressing. The croutons aren’t “just crunchy bits of bread,” he says, but an adaptation of Judy Rodgers’s croutons from Zuni Café, a San Francisco institution that Nayfeld frequented as a young cook. “The mustard helps elevate these croutons to an immensely snackable lure in any salad,” he says, encouraging home cooks to use the recipe as a starting point and adjust as they go.

This time of year brings balmy weather and some of Nayfeld’s favorite late-summer ingredients, including Early Girl tomatoes. “They are great for salads, sauces and soups,” says Nayfeld. A thick slice is also perfect for topping the cheeseburgers he plans to grill this Labor Day weekend using a recipe from his cookbook, Dad, What’s for Dinner?. One of his top tips for building the ultimate burger is to use tomatoes only when they are in season and to salt them.

In the Bay Area, strawberries can also flourish into fall. “You get some of the best strawberries in September and October,” says Nayfeld. A bowl of freshly picked berries pairs well with Nayfeld’s Labor Day weekend dessert: brown butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. “I’m not a big lover of raisins but I do love the flavor of oatmeal,” he says of swapping raisins for chocolate chips in these soft, chewy cookies.

This backyard meal calls for one final touch: a cooler stocked with a variety of beers. For Nayfeld, the only suitable drink for this relaxed holiday menu is a cold one.