Olympia Provisions

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Olympia Provisions
FormerlyOlympic Provisions, OP Wurst
Industry Charcuterie, restaurant
FoundedDecember 1, 2009 (2009-12-01) in Portland, United States
Founders
  • Elias Cairo
  • Michelle Cairo
  • Tyler Gaston
  • Nate Tilden
  • Martin Schwartz
Headquarters123 Southeast 2nd Ave,
Portland, Oregon
,
United States
Number of locations
5 restaurants, 1 production plant
Area served
 United States
Products Charcuterie, salami, sausages, cured meats, ham, bacon, pickles
Owners
  • Elias Cairo
  • Michelle Cairo
  • Nate Tilden
  • Martin Schwartz
Website www.olympiaprovisions.com

Olympia Provisions (formerly Olympic Provisions) is an American meat and restaurant company that produces artisan charcuterie based out of Portland, Oregon. [1]

Contents

Background and history

Founded in 2009 as Olympic Provisions, the company began as Oregon's first USDA salumeria in a 900 square foot production facility attached to a European-inspired restaurant in the Olympic Cereal Mill building. [2] [3] The owners came from a variety of backgrounds, with Nate Tilden also co-owning Clyde Common and Elias Cairo having background as a chef and first generation Greek-American. [4] [5] [6] The idea began when Elias Cairo decided he wanted to open a meat plant inside of a restaurant, and he gathered a group of cofounders which included his sister Michelle, Tilden, Martin Schwartz, and Tyler Gaston. [3] Nate Tilden and Elias Cairo worked together at Castagna prior to opening Olympia Provisions, where Cairo served as head chef. [7] The company began by selling their salami exclusively at farmers' markets and in their restaurant. [8] After receiving nationwide recognition they needed to expand their production facility to meet their demand. In April 2011, Olympia Provisions opened a second restaurant alongside a 4,000 square foot production facility. Two years later, Olympia Provisions had outgrown its second production facility, and in February 2014 production moved to a 34,000 square foot building two blocks from the Southeast restaurant. [9] Currently, Olympia Provisions participates in seventeen farmers' markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. The company's products are sold in Whole Foods and Trader Joe's stores throughout the Northwest region, as well as specialty stores throughout the United States. Additionally, their "Salami of the Month Club" reaches all fifty states.

Name change

In September 2014, the company received a cease and desist notice from the International Olympic Committee, which holds the trademark for the word "olympic" in order to "protect Olympic corporate sponsors against dilution of the value". [4] [10] The company had performed a name search and an LLC search when they first opened, but no trademark issue arose during their research. [5] Originally named after the Olympic Cereal Mill building which housed its first restaurant and production facility, the company agreed to a deal which allowed them to phase out and rebrand to Olympia Provisions throughout 2015. [5]

Restaurants

The founders underneath the iconic "Meat" sign at Olympic Provisions SE. Olympia Provisions Owners under meat sign.jpg
The founders underneath the iconic "Meat" sign at Olympic Provisions SE.
Exterior of Olympia Provisions Southeast, 2020 Portland, Oregon, July 25, 2020 - 08.jpg
Exterior of Olympia Provisions Southeast, 2020

The company currently owns two European-style restaurants in Portland which share the company name. They are known as Olympia Provisions Southeast and Olympia Provisions Northwest. [11] The first restaurant, which opened in 2009, is located at 107 SE Washington St in Southeast Portland. Their second restaurant opened in April 2011 at 1632 NW Thurman St in Northwest Portland. In 2018, restaurant manager and sommelier, Jessica Hereth, was named as one of Food and Wine magazine's Sommeliers of the Year. [12] [13]

Olympia Provisions Public House

In early 2016, Olympia Provisions opened a small bar-restaurant called OP Wurst, located in Pine Street Market. [14] The restaurant focused on frankfurters, sausages, and beer. Later that year, they opened another OP Wurst in Oregon City at Oregon City Brewing. In March 2017, a third location, and the first OP Wurst located in a stand-alone building, opened on Division Street in Southeast Portland. [15] This third location replaced Honky Tonk Taco, an unrelated taco shop started by Olympia Provisions owners Tilden, Schwartz, and Gaston, which had closed after only three months. [16] [17] The location has an outdoor patio, which the bar-restaurant frequently uses to host events, and in the winter hosts a Christmas tree lot. [16] [18] [19] OP Wurst was rebranded as Olympia Provisions Public House in May 2018, which serves food based on owner Elias Cairo's apprenticeship in Switzerland. [20] This was partially because customers did not recognize that OP Wurst was connected to the Olympia Provisions brand. [20] [18]

Melty and Meaty Sandwich Eatery

On May 4, 2018, Olympia Provisions and Tillamook Cheese collaborated and opened a food truck in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Downtown Portland. [21] [22] [23] [18] The truck sells six types of grilled cheese sandwiches using Olympia Provisions' meat and Tillamook's cheeses. [24] [18] [25]

Cookbook

Olympia Provisions released its first cookbook on October 27, 2015. The book was written by owner Elias Cairo and co-author Meredith Erickson . [26] It was published by Ten Speed Press. [3] The book follows Cairo through Switzerland, where he completed his apprenticeship as a young adult, and includes recipes from the restaurants, the meat plant and his time in Switzerland. [3] [27] It is split into two parts, with one part focusing on meats and another part focusing on recipes from the Olympia Provisions restaurants. [28]

Reception

Michael Russell ranked Olympia Provisions number 9 in The Oregonian 's 2025 list of Portland's 40 best restaurants. [29]

Olympia Provisions has won fifteen Good Food Awards, and at one time had more than any other entrant. [30] [31]

YearNominated workCategoryAwardResultNotesRef.
2011LoukanikaCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2011Saucisson d'ArlesCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2011Pork Liver MousseCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2011Pickled Corno di Toro PeppersPicklesGood Food AwardWon [32]
2011 Saveur 100 Saveur 100 Won [11]
2012Chorizo NavarreCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2013Lomo Di ParmaCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2014Pickled Corno di Toro PeppersCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2014Oprah's Favorite Things Oprah's Favorite Things Won [33]
2015Salami CottoCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [34]
2015Salami EtnaCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [34]
2016Rigani LoukanikoCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2017LandrauchschinkenCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [32]
2018Salami El ReyCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [31]
2018Sommelier of the YearFood & WineWonThis award was given to Jessica Hereth [13]
2019Saucisson SecCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [30]
2019Saucisson Aux Noisettes de OregonCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [30]
2019Green Peppercorn PateCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [30]
2020Rosette de OregonCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [35] [36]
2020Chorizo RiojaCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [35] [36]
2020Salami CapriCharcuterieGood Food AwardWon [35] [36]

References

  1. ↑ Stevenson, Jen. "PORTLAND CHEFS ON A FLY FISHING WEEKEND: RECIPES FOR FOOD, DRINK, AND CHEER". Oregon Live. The Oregonian. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ Zimmer, Erin. "A Look at Olympic Provisions, Oregon's First USDA-Approved Salumeria". Serious Eats. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tepler, Benjamin. "A First Look at the New Olympia Provisions Cookbook". Portland Monthly. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Vermillion, Allecia (July 13, 2015). "The Carnivore's Guide to Portland, Oregon". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Bakall, Samantha (February 21, 2015). "Olympic Provisions to change name after cease-and-desist notice from Olympic Committee". Oregon Live. The Oregonian. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ Russell, Michael. "New Clyde Common chef rocks the boat, gently (review)". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  7. ↑ Brooks, Karen; Rasmussen, Randy (July 7, 2009). "Castagna chef to head Portland's first salumeria". Oregonian. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Olympic Provisions -Washington St". Willamette Week. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ DeJesus, Erin (August 29, 2013). "Olympic Provisions Expands to 33k-Square-Foot Facility". Eater. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ DeJesus, Erin (February 20, 2015). "Olympic Provisions Changes Name After Olympic Games Cease-and-Desist". Eater. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Olympic Provisions". Saveur. December 28, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (June 21, 2019). "Two Portland Restaurants Nab Major Wine Accolades". Eater. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Krigbaum, Megan. "F&W's 2018 Sommeliers of the Year". Food & Wine. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  14. ↑ McKay, Gretchen (March 12, 2017). "Portland is a pleasure". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  15. ↑ Walsh, Chad (March 9, 2017). "Take a Look Inside OP Wurst's New Division Street Digs". Eater. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Bamman, Mattie John (December 30, 2016). "OP Wurst to Slide into Honky Tonk Taco". Eater. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  17. ↑ Bamman, Mattie John (October 18, 2016). "Honky Tonk Taco Closes After Less Than 3 Months". Eater. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Thomas. "Olympia Provisions Rebrands, Embraces Its Vibe". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  19. ↑ L'Arche Portland. "Volunteer at the L'Arche Portland Christmas Tree Sale". Idealist. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 25, 2018). "Say Goodbye to Sausage Menagerie OP Wurst; Olympia Provisions Public House Is Taking Over". Eater. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  21. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 2, 2018). "This Knockout Bagel Shop Just Opened on N Russell". Eater. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  22. ↑ Centoni, Danielle (December 22, 2018). "10 Best Food Trucks in Portland, OR". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  23. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 11, 2018). "Olympia Provisions Will Hawk Sandwiches from a New Food Cart". Eater. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  24. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 4, 2018). "Olympia Provisions' Grilled Cheese Cart Begins Slinging Sandwiches in Pioneer Square Today". Eater Portland.
  25. ↑ Centoni, Danielle. "Pioneer Courthouse Square Food Court". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  26. ↑ Cole, Katherine (March 18, 2014). "The night Olympic Provisions threw a European wine party". Oregon Live. The Oregonian. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  27. ↑ Peterson, Lucas (April 29, 2015). "Here Is the Cover for the Olympia Provisions Cookbook". Eater. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  28. ↑ Erin, DeJesus (August 26, 2015). "Inside 'Olympia Provisions,' a Meat Curriculum From Portland's Hottest Charcutiers". Eater. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  29. ↑ Russell, Michael (February 26, 2024). "Portland's 40 best restaurants for 2025". The Oregonian . Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Tepler, Benjamin. "Oregon Dominates the 2019 Good Food Awards". Eater. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  31. 1 2 Forster, Tim (January 26, 2018). "9 Portland Producers Garner Good Food Awards". Eater. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Good Food Award Winners". Olympia Provisions. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  33. ↑ Willett, Megan. "All 72 Of Oprah's 'Favorite Things' Will Cost You $13,407". Business Insider. Business Insider Inc. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  34. 1 2 "Award Winners". Good Food Awards. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  35. 1 2 3 "Volpi Named Finalist in 2020 Good Food Awards". The Perishable News. November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  36. 1 2 3 "Introducing the 2020 Finalists". Good Food Awards. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  37. ↑ Brion, Raphael (February 6, 2012). "Portlandia: The Dream of the 1890s Is Alive in Portland". Eater. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern: Portland Travel Guide". Travel Channel. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  39. ↑ Tepler, Benjamin. "Portland, as Eaten on TV". Portland Travel. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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