Mustards Grill, the iconic Napa Valley roadhouse created by legendary Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Thursday, June 15 through Sunday, June 18, 2023. Chef Pawlcyn and her team are planning a special commemorative menu for the four-day celebration including signed copies of the menu to take home. The menu, with a nod and wink to the past, will include playful food and wine offerings, plus other fun surprises to show the community their appreciation for the support given over the last 40 years. Most importantly, a “40 for 40” online wine auction will kick off in early June, featuring forty Mustards Grill favorite winery friends offering once in a lifetime bottles, with proceeds benefiting Napa Valley Meals-on-Wheels and Food Bank programs.

“The only thing I ever wanted to do was to own a restaurant. This has been my dream from childhood,” said Pawlcyn. “But it has always been about the staff and customers – I have devoted staff, now cherished friends, who have been with me for over 22 years and regular customers who have been with us throughout the 40 years we’ve been here. I’ve realized my dream, thanks to these people.”

Pawlcyn, a pioneer in the development of wine country cuisine, entered Napa Valley’s burgeoning restaurant culture as the opening chef at Meadowood in St. Helena and from there joined Bruce LeFavour at his acclaimed Rose et LeFavour. Armed with extensive kitchen leadership and regional culinary expertise, she successfully launched Mustards Grill in 1983, her now landmark and legendary restaurant. Pawlycn remains intimately involved in the kitchen operations of Mustards Grill, which features its own culinary garden that supplements the locally sourced produce used in many of her dishes. Pawlcyn’s commitment to seasonal inspiration and the use of the region’s bountiful harvests continue to play a major role in the food coming out of her kitchen.

In 2004, recognizing his considerable talents and leadership abilities, Cindy brought in restaurant industry veteran Sean Knight as Director of Operations at Mustards Grill. Now Managing Partner, Sean is instrumental in all aspects of the business, and the restaurant has benefited greatly from his experience and expertise, as demonstrated by its longevity as the culinary leader in the Napa Valley for 40 years.

“Over the past 20 years, I’m very proud of what Cindy and I have been able to accomplish with the business of Mustards Grill, but what I’m most proud of is the partnership and friendship we enjoy,” said Knight.

Pawlcyn has been involved in the creation of many heralded restaurants in the greater San Francisco Bay Area including Fog City Diner, Bix, Roti, Betelnut, Buckeye Roadhouse, and with Sean, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Go Fish, Cindy’s Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Mustards Grill-SFO. A three time finalist for the Outstanding Restaurateur Award from the James Beard Foundation, she is the author of five cookbooks, Fog City Diner Cookbook, Big Small Plates, Appetizers, Cindy’s Supper Club and Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, which won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best American Cookbook.