When you walk in the door of Provision, you are met with a slick dark green wall and a smiling face. Everybody experiences a warm welcome at the front desk of the new market and restaurant in downtown Fairhope, where the checkout worker is part traffic director, according to proprietors Elisabeth and William Hanes. Coffee and pastries to the left, they explain, comfy seating to the right, light retail offerings at the front — reminiscent of a more curated Anthropologie — and cocktails and gourmet foodstuffs all the way to the back. Just start walking; there is no wrong direction in this cavernous-but-somehow-cozy food hall.
Mobilian William Hanes met his wife Elisabeth, from Cullman, at JH Ranch, and not long after, the couple took a job at Blackberry Farm, the luxurious bed and breakfast in Tennessee known for high-end cuisine and impeccable hospitality. The Haneses absorbed everything they could about the industry there, in the hopes of one day opening their own boutique hotel. But fast-forward 8 years and two small children, and the life of a hotelier seemed less romantic. Still passionate about hospitality, the couple says, “We pulled the things we loved into something that would work for our family, and Provision was born.”
While Blackberry might have provided the Haneses with the training needed to build an exquisite customer experience, JH Ranch gave their work its soul. “We want to provide a community space, to get to know our customers and really make people feel known.”
Customers can talk with William about the newest wines from Slovenia or Israel, shop truffle chips from Spain and cheeses from across the south, or bring a laptop and plug in for the afternoon with a matcha and croissant. “We never envisioned a full-service restaurant,” William explains. “Just come by before your dinner reservations for a snack and a great glass of wine.” The hospitable couple even made the best of opening during a worldwide pandemic. “People have been so supportive, we’re so grateful to be in Fairhope. And fortunate to have a big enough space to allow social distancing, so customers can enjoy spending time over good food and drink with their own group.”
On the Menu
Strawberry Toast
Honey-whipped feta, fresh local strawberries and chopped herbs sit atop toasted multigrain bread that is then drizzled with honey and orange zest for a taste like orange marmalade.
Farro Salad
This refreshingly light salad features chopped apples, fresh blueberries and shaved Parmesan over nutty farro grains and a big pile of arugula, finished with toasted pecans and crispy onions.
Weekly Cheese Boards
Designed to be paired with either red or white wine, and changing weekly with new offerings, expect to find duck prosciutto from The Spotted Trotter, house-candied nuts and new-to-you cheeses.
Provision Mule
This crowd-pleasing wine-based cocktail is built with fresh lime, blackberries, mint, simple syrup and pinot noir in a large Bordeaux glass, the perfect summer sipper to pair with a cheese board.
Provision • 100 N Section St., Fairhope • 850-5004
8 a.m. – 8 p.m., M – T; 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., W – Sa; closed Su
