GLBT owned and operated Provence Breads and Café, a business featuring fresh breads, pastries, cheeses and other gourmet foods, opened its fifth location, at the Roundabout Plaza building, 1600 Division St. in Nashville, in late December.
Terry Carr-Hall, founder and president of Provence, says the new café is slightly different from the other locations.
“We envision it as a new gathering place for after dinner,” he said. “The area around Demonbreun Street and the Musica sculpture has exploded with restaurants and night spots. We see the new location as a dessert lounge. People will go to dinner or listen to music, then walk up the street to Provence for dessert and coffee.”
The Roundabout Plaza café is the first Provence location to serve wine.
“Our broad and unique selection of wine will be a good reason in itself to stop in,” said Carr-Hall.
Like the other Provence locations, the new café is also a destination for morning coffee and pastry, as well as lunch.
“This is also a growing location for business,” said Carr-Hall. “We not only anticipate walk-in business from people working in the area, but we also see great opportunities to cater meetings and events.”
The look of the café features a more contemporary style, tying into the design of the building. Patrons can relax in overstuffed furniture, and the lights will be dimmed in the evenings. Like all Provence cafés, the new location is WiFi outfitted.
Seating capacity is 60, including up to 40 outdoor. “This will be a great new option for an outdoor lunch or to enjoy dessert and coffee on a warm evening,” said Carr-Hall.
While there will be more self-service than the other locations, the new café will be Provence’s first to prepare custom sandwiches, featuring a wide variety of premium meats, gourmet spreads and breads.
The café is easily accessible from the building lobby, sidewalk and the Roundabout Plaza garage. Patrons will receive 90 minutes of free parking in the garage.
The new location is part of the growth strategy at Provence, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in March. The Provence bakery, located in the Gulch section of Nashville, is close by. “The bakery can support 10 to 15 more locations within a 25-mile radius, so growth will continue,” said Carr-Hall.
Provence Breads and Café was conceived in 1996 by Carr-Hall, an artisan bread baker from San Francisco. It is named for the southeastern province of France, known for valleys that produce some of the world’s finest wheat for traditional Provençal breads.
Provence serves a variety of breads, pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, and cheeses. As an independently owned gourmet food business, Provence prides itself in its commitment to provide an “open hand” to the many charitable organizations that serve and support the community.
In addition to the new café at Roundabout Plaza, Provence has locations at the Downtown Library, 601 Church Street; in Hillsboro Village at 1705 21st Ave. South; at the Iris Café on the Peabody Campus; and in the AmSouth Building at 4th and Deaderick in downtown Nashville.
