Providore Adds Revel Meat, Two X Sea

I just got permission to unburden myself of a secret I've been keeping for almost two months, one that is going to make my life—and hopefully the lives of many other fans of local meat—so much more delicious. Fans and those whose lives were bereft when Ben Meyer closed down Old Salt, his palace of sustainable meat, can now rejoice: He and his partner in Revel Meat, James Serlin, have just signed a lease and stocked cases of their local meat inside Providore Fine Foods.

Kaie Wellman, co-owner of Providore and longtime Portland specialty grocer, Pastaworks, with her husband, Kevin de Garmo, and Bruce Silverman, termed the partnership a "perfect marriage."

Bringing Revel Meat to Providore continues the group's commitment to partner with providers who have deep relationships with local farmers and can give customers the kind of high quality, thoughtfully sourced products they're looking for, Wellman said. "Partners who excite us are the people who are as passionate about food as we are."

Serlin echoed that excitement, saying it was Providore's roster of partners like Rubinette Produce, Little T Baker and Hilary Horvath Flowers that made it an ideal choice for Revel's first retail outlet. "It's a big deal for Revel to be associated with Providore," Serlin said. "The idea behind it, as a place where people can come to get the best produce, meat, fish, cheese and bread, is a perfect fit."

Beef and pork from local farms like Pat-n-Tam's Beef in Stanfield, Campfire Farms in Mulino, Rieben Family Farms in Banks, and 6 Ranch in Wallowa County will stock the big meat cases on the west end of the store with both frozen and fresh cuts. Don't see what you're looking for in the case? Revel will also be happy to accommodate orders for custom cuts—I've already put in my order for some beef neck—with pickup available at Providore. (Read more about Revel Meat and its mission to rejuvenate local meat processing.)

And who will be occupying the coveted space recently vacated by Flying Fish Company? None other than Two X Sea (Two By Sea) the Bay Area fishmonger born in 2009 out of owner Kenny Belov's frustration with the lack of honesty and accountability in the seafood marketplac and fair pay for the fishing industry.

"The only way to change wholesale was to become wholesale," said Belov, who has been selling seafood to top Portland-area restaurants for more than four years. All of Two X Sea's suppliers must answer specific questions before their fish are accepted into its program: Who caught the fish? Who was the captain? What's the name of the boat? How was the fish caught? Was the fish caught on purpose (as opposed to it being bycatch, which means fish caught while targeting other species)? Belov believes that those answers give an opportunity to share with consumers all of the information about every piece of fish in the case.

"Their sustainability standards are unmatched anywhere," Wellman said. "These guys walk their talk."

Belov said that architectural drawings for the new space are being completed, and he's hoping for Two X Sea to open in late spring. Plans include an oyster bar and a menu that showcases the offerings in the fresh case. He said it's an opportunity to expose guests to preparations of seafood that they might also make at home, and he's excited to see what chef Jacob Harth—chef at the much-lauded Erizo and who will compose Two By Sea's offerings—orchestrates in conjunction with Providore's other partners.

Wellman said that Pastaworks, with its nearly 40 years in Portland, and now Providore, are set to move to the next level in its evolution as a vortex for people who love to cook and who care about where their food comes from. "It's a community of like-minded businesses and business owners," Wellman said. "It's the antithesis of a grocery store experience. It's a place where customers come in and are surrounded by real food and high quality products from small producers they can't find elsewhere."

Then comes the throwdown: "Nowhere else in the U.S. has this level of a food experience and offers customers this kind of engagement with their food."

Providore Fine Foods is a sponsor of Good Stuff NW.

Providore Fine Foods Collects City's Best Purveyors

Hawthorne Boulevard was a run-down stretch of pavement lined with dilapidated buildings when Pastaworks first opened in 1983. But the rent was cheap and the neighborhood was ripe for reinvention, so business partners Peter de Garmo and Don Oman, inspired by a pasta shop in Boston that de Garmo had wandered into, decided to open a European-style food emporium. Within a year other businesses began flocking to the street, and what started as a whim began looking like a genius move as Portland's food scene started taking off.

Josh Alsberg (l) and Ken Fisher of Rubinette Produce.

So more than 30 years later, when Pastaworks' owners, Peter's son Kevin de Garmo (top photo) and his wife, Kaie Wellman—Oman sold his share of the store and founded Casa Bruno, one of the city's top-rated wine distributors—announced that they were closing the shop and moving it to Northeast Sandy Boulevard, neighbors were aghast. But in what may come to be seen as another whip-smart move, the new shop has taken residence in a former car dealership on an up-and-coming, close-in stretch of Sandy that in years past was known for its drug dealers, dive bars and ladies of the night.

Lyf Gildersleeve of Flying Fish and Meat Monger.

Like the original Pastaworks, this new incarnation, renamed Providore Fine Foods, is a collection of some of the city's best food purveyors, including, of course, Pastaworks itself:

• Rubinette Produce: Known as a true produce geek, Josh Alsberg was lured away from Food Front Co-op by the opportunity to open what he conceives of as a daily farmers' market. Josh is well-regarded for his relationships with the area's top farms, so you'll find produce sourced from local farms like Deep Roots Farm, Gathering Together Farm, Stone Boat Farm and others.
• Flying Fish Company and the Meat Monger: Lyf Gildersleeve started his Flying Fish Company on Hawthorne five years ago, marketing sustainable, local seafood out of a rolling trailer. Like the original, this outlet will also be featuring whole fish and adding a daily oyster bar for your delectation. The Meat Monger is a new endeavor featuring local, sustainably raised pork, beef and lamb.
• Little T Baker: Tim Healea's loaves are among the best to found in this gluten-friendly town, and his were at the top of the list when Providore came knocking. Also find his breakfast pastries to enjoy alongside an Illy espresso.
• Emerald Petals: Hilary Holmes' eco-friendly, botanical flower shop is committed to the "slow flower" movement with organic, locally sourced flowers and arrangements.
• Arrosto: Rotisserie chicken is all the rage, and the Pastaworks team has designed this Mediterranean-style rotisserie chicken to satisfy the take-out crowd or dine-in noshers. Head to the walk-up window for chicken and sides like they have in Italy.

Details: Providore Fine Foods, 2340 NE Sandy Blvd.