Chef Cindy Pawlcyn
Catch up with the icon behind Mustards Grill
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn opened Mustards Grill, her landmark “deluxe truck stop” along the St. Helena Highway between Yountville and Oakville, in 1983. Prior to going out on her own, Pawlcyn helped open Meadowood Napa Valley’s restaurant and worked under acclaimed Chef Bruce LeFavour at the valley’s French darling of the time, Rose et LeFavour.
Her concept struck a chord, and Mustards Grill has been a gathering place for winemakers, local chefs, and visitors ever since. “It was an instant hit,” she explained. “The valley wanted a place like Mustards more than we knew. We just wanted a place where folks would be comfortable celebrating or having a burger and a beer.”
It was then that Pawlcyn, ever the pioneer, had the foresight to create an onsite chef’s garden that is now common for fine dining restaurants across the country. She planted an organic garden to provide seasonal inspiration and to treat patrons to the “pure flavors of produce picked fresh just hours before arriving on the plate.”
Today, the two-acre gardens supply 20% of the restaurant’s produce, and diners are invited to walk through and explore the thriving gardens to see what’s in season.
For a quintessential Mustards Grill experience, Pawlcyn recommends ordering classic dishes like the Mongolian pork chop, lemon garlic chicken, and lemon lime tart. Locals rave about the daily seafood tostada special and the adult grilled cheese, among the many other beloved daily specials and seasonal dishes on the restaurant’s ever-changing menu.
“I love being here,” Pawlcyn enthused. “I have always described [Napa Valley] as a chef heaven – with a year-round growing season, diners that love food and wine, wonderful folks to work with... what more could you ask for?”
Cindy is still an active presence in the Mustards kitchen and is enthusiastic about the future of the dining world in Napa Valley. “There is a whole new group of chefs opening places and coming to the area, and there are so many places to go, see, and enjoy.”