A Taste of Home
Krystyna’s Polish American Cuisine in Red Bluff…
A sure-fire way to keep your mother and grandmother’s memory close is to cook the recipes she taught you as a child. A way to turn that memory into a legacy is to share them with your community and name a restaurant after her.
Krystyna’s Polish American Cuisine in Red Bluff is a nod to the love and care of Krystyna Kurowski, Polish Cold War immigrant and beloved mother of Agnieszka Fischer and grandmother of Robert Fischer, who, along with their family, are celebrating her memory by serving up her favorite Polish dishes, along with a farm-fresh seasonal menu driven by availability of local producers.
An entire paragraph of Kurowski’s 2018 obituary in the Red Bluff Daily News is dedicated to her culinary skills. Like many immigrants, she brought the recipes honed in her homeland to the United States and raised a family on them. “Amongst the Polish community, her reputation for being an amazing cook grew,” reads her obituary. “She had a talent for creating beautiful and delicious dishes.”
“First and foremost, it’s very traditional Polish food that we eat every day,” says Agnieszka. Think cabbage rolls with mushroom gravy, schnitzel, potato pancakes with Hungarian goulash, and pickle soup served daily, year-round. The latter has its dedicated fans and has turned the most skeptical into one who craves
the dish.
On Saturdays, pierogis make their weekly showing. These specialty items are exceptionally time-consuming to make, but fly out of the restaurant at about 400 a week. They also have a place in Kurowski’s obituary.
The seasonal menu relies on the output of local producers such as Julia’s Fruit Stand, Oak Slough Farms, Red Gate Ranch, Maywood Figs and Fig Hunter. “Whatever they have we try to rotate into our menu,” says Agnieszka, noting that a veggie ratatouille served on buckwheat was popular in the heat of summer, as was caprese salad. “As the seasons change, so does our menu.”
Much of the menu can be made gluten free, as potato starch is used in sauces. The restaurant does not use seed oils, opting instead for avocado and olive oils and healthier frying oil.
Agnieszka has fond memories and photographic evidence of son Robert at 5 years old wearing a chef’s hat and holding a spatula for his school’s career day. While he had his first lessons in cooking at the sides of his mom and grandmother, he is also classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. He graduated in 2019 and returned to Red Bluff as the pandemic was taking hold. “At school he was known as the kid who knew pierogi and the kielbasa boy,” Agnieszka says with a laugh. He had handwritten recipes from his grandmother to refer to.
In 2021, Agnes, Robert and their families decided to open a restaurant. They knew they wanted to stay in Red Bluff, where they had moved from the Bay Area a few decades prior. They scouted locations and ultimately landed on a space downtown over 100 years old, and they took three years to build it out. The family includes skilled tradesmen that could do the work. The public was welcomed on April 29, 2025 and have been showing up ever since.
“We have a pretty large kitchen for a restaurant, but we feel we’re bursting at the seams,” says Agnieszka. A large floral mural was painted in the dining area in homage to Kurowski’s talents as a master gardener.
“We wanted to bring back the concept of sitting and talking,” she adds, noting that she encourages guests to “come and gather and just spend time with each other.”
“When we started this, we wanted to bring something different to the Red Bluff and surrounding areas to expand the culinary horizon,” she says. Word has gotten out and the restaurant was named a top 10 Polish restaurant in California at decorhint.com, joining restaurants in the Bay Area and southern California. “We get a lot of travelers,” says Agnieszka.
Whether local or passing through, Agnieszka, Robert and family are ready for you to stay for awhile and bask in the culinary legacy of their beloved Kyrstyna and maybe even develop your own obsession with pickle soup and pierogi. •
Krystyna’s Polish American Cuisine
620 Main St., Red Bluff • Find them on Facebook • (530) 527-8244
