We're a little bit of everything, in the best possible way, at Wells Provisions. Moving to a small town from New Orleans, we knew that we'd have to wear more than one hat when opening a business during a pandemic. From the beginning we were design crew, contractor, menu developer, product procurers, the list goes on. Our multi-tasking approach to opening Wells Provisions has continued and just like we wear many hats, our store serves many roles in the community for locals and visitors.
Wells Provisions is a cafe, serving authentic New Orleans food in a beautiful setting. We serve breakfast, lunch and a smaller 3-6pm menu. We have gourmet coffee and what some call the best latte they've ever had. We've had some tough coffee critics. One man who moved here from LA, told us the latte he ordered rivaled the best he's ever had in his sixty plus years (and he went on to tell us that he has an at home espresso machine where he meticulously measures the temperature of his steamed milk to create the perfect cup with his custom ordered espresso). I'm not writing this now to brag, but rather to illustrate that we're passionate about quality food and drink. If we're not going to give you the very best product every time then why even bother?
For our food, we apply the same relentless passion. We love the food from our city of New Orleans, and we know others share that same love, but may not be able to make it there. So, we offer AUTHENTIC New Orleans food. Our gumbo is a multi layered process, that takes time and produces deep flavor. Our shrimp po-boys use Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp (the best) and our po-boy bread comes from New Orleans. Po-boy bread is a unique beast, in the fact that it's flaky on the outside and airy on the inside. It's said that its texture can only be achieved in New Orleans due to the below sea-level elevation and high humidity level. If you talk to a New Orleanian, they'll tell you that a Po-boy isn't a po-boy without the po-boy bread. Our Muffalettas use New Orleans Sicilian bread and olive salad from the one and only Central Grocery (the people who invented this delicious sandwich).
But we don't get all our food from New Orleans. Most of our ingredients we get come locally from Western Mass. Our local farmers are amazing and produce some really great ingredients. Our house-made breakfast sausage starts with Berkshire Pork from Freeman Farms - not five miles from Wells Provisions. Our maple syrup comes from Winston Maple Farm in Shelburne Falls. When in season, all our collards for the popular Collard Melt come from Good Bunch (along with other delicious vegetables).
Our fridge cases and freezer case is stocked full of local, specialty food products as well. From Real Pickles to Jaju Pierogi and everything in between, we have an extensive collection of grocery options for you to bring home. We think of them as the things you didn't know you needed, but are so happy to discover! The fridge and freezer also has many take and heat options, all made from scratch by our team.
We don't have Budweiser, but we do have MANY craft beers - from Hazy IPA's to Porters and Lagers, our beer cooler represents some of the best brewers in the East (with a few selections from Louisiana thrown in for good measure!) Same goes for wine. Our wine selection is focused on natural wine from small producers. You won't find these wines in the grocery store, but their prices are affordable (most under$20, and some even under $10!) and we've tasted each and everyone and stand behind them all as delicious! We also have a curated spirit collection. Our Bourbon/rye/whiskey collection is more than decent and represents some of our favorites (we help found the New Orleans Bourbon Society which has more than 5000 members today), so we like a good sip of bourbon on the rocks and are happy to direct you to your new favorite. If you're into craft cocktails like us, you'll find interesting bitters, cherries and concoctions (Creole Orgeat) on the shelf to elevate your game!
I find myself rambling a bit, but I think that's the product of Wells Provisions being a lot of different things. Different things that focus on quality and complement each other. It's a cafe, coffee shop, specialty market, and package store all rolled into one. Come and eat lunch and pick up your dinner!
Also, couple things to remember - you order at the counter and we'll bring you the food; you can't drink alcohol on premise (Massachusetts law with package store permits); and don't forget to order one of our (quickly becoming famous) chocolate chip cookies - you'll be glad you did!
See you soon!