OUR HISTORY
In 1993, founder Joe Guth was the Sous Chef at Zefiro, a groundbreaking restaurant in Portland’s emerging culinary scene. Previous experience as a cook at the renowned Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley, California, exposed Joe to a wide variety of foods that were not available to him in Portland. When he couldn’t find his favorite items, Joe realized other chefs might be similarly frustrated. Thus began Provvista Specialty Foods, with a simple notion: to provide local restaurants with the best quality food products at a fair price.
Our original catalog listed high quality olive oil, Italian pasta, heirloom beans, and a few other hard-to-find ingredients. As the company and Portland grew, so did our product list. Joe’s original vision expanded to include a dual focus on imported goods and American artisanal products, providing Provvista’ s growing audience with an array of unique, high quality food items. Our current product offerings reflect the diverse needs of our customers, and the list grows continuously.