PastaWorks Opening in Providore Fine Foods
The newly remodeled 1920’s-era De Soto Building at NE 24th and Sandy Blvd. will soon be home to Providore Fine Foods, an exciting collaboration of some of Portland’s finest independent food purveyors, including: Pastaworks, Arrosto, Little T American Baker, Flying Fish, The Meatmonger and eco-florist Emerald Petals. A local produce purveyor will also be announced soon.
As the owners of the new Providore Fine Foods, the Pastaworks trio of Kevin de Garmo, second generation Pastaworks owner, his wife Kaie Wellman, a fifth-generation Portlander and creator of the popular eat.shop guides series, and Whole Foods Market grocery veteran Bruce Silverman bring decades of combined grocery, food and design experience and passion to what they envision will become a destination food marketplace in Portland.
“Providore Fine Foods is a modern marketplace with Pastaworks as its anchor tenant, along with other like-minded, deeply knowledgeable, passionate local purveyors,” said Wellman. “Transitioning Pastaworks from its original location on SE Hawthorne to Providore Fine Foods will allow us to continue bringing our customers a high-quality, unique food and wine experience with added conveniences such as on-site parking, eat-in dining options, and an event space for wine tastings, cooking classes and food-related events.” Nodoguro, the acclaimed Japanese restaurant will remain in its current location at 3735 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
With exposed brick walls and high wood-beamed ceilings, the historical 1919 DeSoto building once housed the Alexander Chrysler, Plymouth, and DeSoto automobile business, which Alton Alexander opened in 1938. The 6,500-square foot renovation will feature an open marketplace design with local purveyors selling side by side, a large parking lot, massive garage doors for al fresco dining options and a larger production kitchen to expand Pastaworks’ wholesale pasta program and prepared foods. “Providore will be a unique shopping experience in Portland following the City Market NW model,” says Wellman. “Pastaworks pioneered this model in 1991 at City Market NW, and we are excited to open another marketplace concept with a group of fantastic food purveyors.”
Local purveyors and eateries will include:
- Pastaworks, with its European flair and unparalleled product mix, will feature handcrafted fresh and dried pasta, an array of fresh-out-of-the-oven focaccias, a selection of cheese, dried goods and wine, vermouths and beer sourced locally, regionally and internationally from the finest producers, as well as dairy, prepared foods and a dine-in menu of sandwiches, pasta and lasagna, charcuterie and cheese plates and wine by the glass.
- Arrosto, a new concept from Pastaworks, will offer Italian-style wood-fired rotisserie chicken at a convenient walk-up window for take-away options or dining in. Dinners will include family-style roasted chicken with crispy potatoes and sides.
- Flying Fish Northeast, the popular SE Portland sustainable seafood market will open a new retail fish market and oyster bar. The fish market will feature fresh, local, sustainable seafood, while the oyster bar will highlight Pacific NW oysters on the half shell, house-smoked salmon, and a rotating line of house-made hot soups.
- The Meat Monger, a new meat concept from the owner of Flying Fish, will offer sustainable, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats sourced directly from the local farmers who raise the animals.
- Little T American Baker, an iconic Portland neighborhood bakery, will open is third location with a kiosk inside Providore Fine Foods that will feature artisanal breads and pastries.
- Emerald Petals, a local eco-conscious flower purveyor, will bring unique botanicals to Providore.
- Local Produce Market, to be announced soon.
Portland’s SE Hawthorne neighborhood was a food desert in the early 1980s when Peter de Garmo and his partner Don Oman founded Pastaworks in 1983 featuring housemade fresh pasta, European wine and cheese, specialty dry goods and local produce. “My father was a true pioneer of Portland’s culinary community and opened one of the great European-style markets in this country,” said Kevin de Garmo, co-owner of Pastaworks, City Market NW and Providore Fine Foods. “He was the first to introduce to Portland palates European delicacies like Prosciutto di Parma and Jamon Serrano.” In 2013, Peter de Garmo retired from day-to-day operations of the business (Don Oman sold his share to Peter in 1999, when he left to begin Casa Bruno, a wine distributor). Peter’s son Kevin, who has been involved with Pastaworks since operating the cash register on opening day (his 16th birthday), took over daily operations of the stores.
“The transition will be bittersweet since we have three decades of memories in the original location,” said Kevin de Garmo. “But, we are all eager to share the new space with some of Portland’s exciting food purveyors and offer our customers a fantastic shopping experience. And more parking!”