Exotically yours!

As you enter the store,wall-high shelves,housing bottles and packets of myriad shapes and colours catch your attention. Then you notice the rows of cheese chunks that will surely make any mouth water. And when Salony walks in to welcome you with her warm smile,you know that you won’t get lost in this maze. “We have ingredients for Spanish,Chinese,Italian,Mexican and Thai cooking. We can boast of a strong Japanese section too. We aim to inspire and build exposure to these cuisines. The store has food magazines for reference; there is always Nigella (Lawson) or Anthony Bourdain playing on the telly; there are recipe booklets that customers can take copies of – everything that creates a foodie aura,” Salony gushes.

Salony herself is a self-confessed foodie. With a four-year degree from the University of Adelaide,she was a wine-maker in Australia,until her return to India this year,after a hiatus of close to two decades. “Pune is my home,so I was naturally inclined to set-up a store right where I grew up. This venture is a true labour of love. I spent nine exhaustive months identifying all the logistics,from suppliers to real estate. Provodoré means ‘purveyor of food’ in Italian,but I think of it as a provision store. It is an extension of my taste,of all that I feel will satisfy a person indulging in cuisine cooking,” she explains. Indeed,the packets of pasta,dips,olives and breads look eager to adorn and revolutionise all curious kitchens. “We want to spread knowledge as a team here. I firmly believe you are what you eat. The dips we have here are all sourced locally. We have mozzarella cheese from Punjab,and some fine French cheese from Bangalore. There is tofu as well as prawns,to tickle all palettes,” she smiles.