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Please click on the link below and follow us on Twitter for real time updates on everything Provence...from what our bakers are saying to specials of the day. We are excited to share the daily musings of all things bakery and cafe (and the craziness of running a food business), as well as our daily quest for "food nirvana" as we taste our way through our kitchens and share with you the good, the bad, and sometimes the truly sublime.

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Yummi Yo! Frozen Italian Style Yogurt at Green Hills and the Nashville Airport

http://www.yummiyo.com/

Yummi Yo! is a natural Italian style frozen yogurt with live and active yogurt cultures and no fat grams. Pure, creamy, and refreshingly tangy, Yummi Yo! has all of yogurts natural goodness such as calcium and protein and is fat free and gluten free. Did you know that yogurt can result in numerous health benefits such as improved digestive health and a stronger immune system?
Stop by our Hill Center location in Green Hills and ask for a free sample. Tell them you read about it on the Blog site.

Yummi Yo! was developed by Provence and is a trademarked product.

Executive Chef, Dustin Pritchett

Dustin is a second generation Nashville chef, son of Barbara Pritchett (B. Palola’s circa 1985). He began his culinary career in kitchens in Livingston, Montana. In 1995 he got a job at Chico Hot Springs in the morning picking lettuce farmed on the restaurant grounds & quickly climbed the ranks moving to sister restaurant Uncle Looies as kitchen manager, with a brief stint at local competition Chatham’s Bar & Grill. He spent his last two years in Montana trained by French chef Michelle Fontant to run the night kitchen shift solo in his mothers restaurant Rumours, before moving back to Nashville in 2001. He worked at Sunset Grill from 2001-2009 where he started by getting his foot in the door working the pantry station and working his way up. In 2004 he took over as the restaurants executive chef. In January 2009 he took over as the chef at Provence Breads & Café.

He has donated his time to many local charities such as March of Dimes, Second Harvest Food Bank & the Liver Foundation as well as national events volunteering a week of his time each year along with his mother for the Taste of the NFL event which is a large charity fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank.

When he’s not busy meeting the demands of running the restaurants kitchen he is busy meeting the demands of his children-Zoe & Nolan & wife Kaarin.

Don't forget St. Patricks Day!

St. Patricks Day 3/17 Menu

Yazoo Beer Bread - Talk about local! In our search for the best local ingredients, we certainly didn’t have to go far for this one. After months in development, Yazoo and Provence are happy to introduce the Yazoo Beer Bread 4.00

Irish Soda Bread – Traditional Irish Table Bread with Zante Currants for our own American flair 4.25

Grasshopper Mini Cake - Layers of Mint Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Cake just big enough for two. 10.95 (available in larger sizes by special order)

Shamrock Cookie – Vanilla sucree shamrock shaped cookie decorated with royal icing 1.65

Lamb stew – Traditional stew of simmered lamb and root vegetables 12.95 per quart

Meet Kim Totzke, Culinary Operations Manager

February 16 . 2009

Kim Totzke was named Best Chef in Nashville by Nashville Scene food critic Kay West. In her column, West has said Kim, “is as well known for her quirky, extroverted personality as she is for her unbridled creativity in the kitchen.” And this is how it started…

Totzke fell in love with cooking when she was five years old and her grandmother would play her favorite game in which she blindfolded Kim and fed her bits of food to ask her what she tasted - “Salty? Sweet?” By age nine, she was cooking on her own at home while her parents finished up at work. A few major pitfalls led her to a 4H cooking class, and for her 10^th birthday she received cook books. By high school, she was teaming up with girlfriends to save allowance to buy supplies to prepare exquisite “dinners for six” with Bon Appetite magazine recipes. A few of her friend’s parents owned restaurants, and occasionally Kim and her pals would help in the kitchen when they were short on staff. After a three month tour of Europe, Kim went home to Florida to work in the Sheraton Dolphin Hotel and Winter Park’s Briar Patch on Park Avenue. One evening, her best friend’s boyfriend introduced her to the chef at Park Plaza Gardens, which eventually led to an apprenticeship at Coco Pazzo at74^th and Madison in Manhattan. In 1992, with her apprenticeship complete, she moved away from the hustle and bustle of New York to Nashville. Nashville is where Kim finished her education and became a certified chef through the American Culinary Federation.

And a rising culinary star continued to shine…she met Deb Paquette and took a job with her at Cakewalk, then onto the Belle Meade Brasserie with Robert Siegel, then again with Deb Paquette at The Bound’ry, followed by a post as general manager of Bongo Java and Fido. As she began her ninth year as a known powerhouse and dynamic member of Nashville’s chef community, she landed gracefully in 2001 as executive chef of The Yellow Porch. It wasn’t long before she was named creative director of food and wine for the entire company including Wild Iris, Cross Corner, Flying Horse, and Pegasus Catering. Kim’s latest challenge was to revamp the Ombi restaurant concept as it’s general manager/co-chef. Ombi has been critically acclaimed by both local and national media alike.

Kim Totzke’s versatility and originality, balanced by consistently extraordinary cooking skills, makes her the darling of Nashville’s foodies, not to mention a legion of loyal regulars. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching classes at local schools and colleges and using her talents to raise funds for deserving causes like Nashville’s Table. Kim Totzke passed her first level sommelier exam by the Count of Master Sommeliers and is now working with l’ Ete’ du Vin to offer bourbon tastings at their 2008 auctions, solidifying her commitment to quality in every aspect of the industry. It is no wonder that West called her “a maestro of multi-tasking,” and, certainly, “a seasoned but still effervescent chef.” I’m sure that the most exciting adventures are sure to come.

If you like Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt....

May 02 2008
You will love our latest product line developed by Provence-Yummi Yo frozen yogurt. We visited the latest trend setters in the frozen yogurt world (Pinkberry etc.) and designed a low fat and no fat yogurt that tastes like the real thing...tart and creamy yogurt. Our favorite toppings are fresh berries, kiwis, pineapple etc. Please visit our Cafe located on the Peabody Campus (The Iris Cafe) for a sample of this wonderful new product.

Intelligentsia Coffee!

May 1, 2008
In our never ending quest for outstanding quality, we have partnered with Intelligentsia Coffees
out of Chicago IL.
From Doug Zell, one of the founders of Intelligentsia: "We purchase our green beans from either the world’s most renowned importers or directly from the growers themselves. Our purchases are based on the cup quality of the coffee. Whenever possible, we seek growers and importers that are known to be both environmentally and socially responsible. It is almost always the case that these individuals produce and offer the best quality. Our coffee is roasted daily in our vintage German roasters. As a result, you will not find a fresher, more flavorful cup anywhere. At a company level, we adhere to the philosophy that the compassionate treatment of people and the environment inevitably yields higher quality. So whether you are enjoying a cup in our store, your favorite café or restaurant, or in the peaceful confines of your home, we are certain that you will taste the difference that care makes."Cool%20photo%2008.pdf