Over the next few years, Maryjo made several extended trips to work in Santa Maria. On her second trip, she was sitting on the beach on a rare day off and received a phone call from Scott Thomas, a co-worker from Laurel. "I'm here and ready to work," Scott said.

Maryjo and Scott loved the Italian way of cooking - using only the freshest ingredients and allowing a few simple flavors to shape a dish. The two also became ingrained in the daily life of Santa Maria. The village was an intimate community of 2000 people, nestled on a steep hillside and the restaurant was a hub for the townsfolk. "People would come every day, dine and just hangout," Maryjo recalls. "It was part of their daily lives."

A restaurant with a fresh twist.
Maryjo eventually headed back to San Diego while Scott stayed in Italy a while, traveling, working and attending culinary photography school in Florence. Later, Maryjo and Scott both met up again in San Diego and began working a salad business at the Hillcrest Farmers Market every Sunday. Eventually, they became partners in their own full-time business -- Salad Style.

Their thriving business is located in the East Village of San Diego's downtown. It's a growing area, just like their growing restaurant. Today when you look around Salad Style, you can see touches of an Italian influence. The front is bright and airy. There's a photo of Scott's restaurant in Florence, another shot from a farmer's market. The handcrafted tile tables invite people to pull up a chair and linger a while.

Like the restaurant in Santa Maria, Salad Style inspires the same type of daily devotion. "People have made healthy eating a habit," says Scott. "People have made Salad Style a habit."

"With the kitchen right up in the front, we know the people we are cooking for," says Maryjo. "It's so very rewarding and unlike any other place I have ever worked for."

You can also find more of Scott and Maryjo at