Gourmet Grocer Pastaworks to Open Chicken Shack

Pastaworks is one of the most iconic gourmet grocers in a city of iconic gourmet grocers, and this winter, it's opening an Italian-style rotisserie chicken spot called Arrosto as part of its forthcoming Providore Fine Foods marketplace. If all goes as planned, Arrosto will have a separate entrance and sell grab-and-go chickens through a window; for on-site dining, Arrosto will offer a quarter chicken with potatoes and a side, which you can eat in the sizable dining area inside Providore Fine Foods, with additional food and drink options.

Speaking with Eater, Kaie Wellman said that she and her husband, Kevin de Garmo, have wanted to open an Italian-style rotisserie since their honeymoon on the Italian and French rivieras. "Over there, everywhere from specialty markets to street vendors do these great rotisserie chickens," she said. "We'd walk along and smell the chicken from streets away, and when we'd find it, the chicken was roasting and the drippings fell down onto potatoes."

The owners of Pastaworks, Wellman and de Garmo, have a personal nickname for Arrosto, "the chicken shack," and Arrosto will utilize a wood-fired rotisserie as well as a secret recipe to make its chicken. When it opens, it will join Portland's already hot chicken scene, including Pollo Norte (Mexican City rotisserie) and Polli-Tico (Peruvian rotisserie).