Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen

Cindy Pawlcyn has been involved in the creation of over a dozen new restaurants in the Bay Area including, Fog City Diner, Bix, Roti, Betelnut, Buckeye Roadhouse and Tra Vigne. Her latest creation is Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena.



Roasted Artichoke, lemon & chervil-tarragon aioli


Rabbit Tostada, red chile salsa, black beans & feta


Pablo’s Pollo Loco, chopped avocado salsa & stuffed green chile



Duck enchilada special

Kitchen Filming

Most days in the kitchen start out the same, turning on the hood system, firing up the grill and ovens, going through the coolers and reachins, etc. But not today, today it began with cameras hanging from the ceiling, lighting galore, a spiderweb of wiring and monitors, wireless mikes and of course the mandatory makeup to compensate for the irregular complexion shared by most people who cook for a living.

We shot a series of instruction cooking videos. These videos were more about ideas instead of exacting recipes. They're geared toward the avid home cook.

Setting up for the day


Any closer and he'd be on the cutting board