Photos courtesy Pearl Communications
Anjali Gupta relaunches Bryn Mawr’s Pinwheel Provisions to provide high-quality frozen food to customers around the western suburbs.
Forget Hot Pockets and Chef Boyardee. All you need to remember is the name Anjali Gupta, a.k.a. the woman revolutionizing frozen food for Main Line area families. Just over a week away from Pinwheel Provision’s Bryn Mawr relaunch, Gupta’s brand is primed to wow customers with enticing new offerings and classic favorites.
Formerly located at 121 N Narberth Ave. in Narberth, Pinwheel’s new Bryn Mawr location isn’t just a renovation, but also features major updates and additions to the storefront. Chiefly, Gupta is adding the ‘Wich Way takeaway sandwich bar, whose ever-changing menu contains unique and healthy options from cuisines around the world.
Gupta, a well-traveled entrepreneur, got the idea for Pinwheel Provisions from her travels through Western Europe and how the cultures in that region handle packaged and frozen food.
“In my opinion, Europe is usually a few paces ahead of the U.S. in terms of thinking about nutrition and sustainability. Europeans don’t really do much takeout or resort to the pricey prepared foods we get in many of our food markets,” Gupta says.
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In addition to the relatively minimal amount of takeout and prepared foods in Europe, Gupta also notes that those regions utilize much less packaging by extension.
“Europeans would likely be horrified by the wastefulness of the packaging,” Gupta posits.
Across the Atlantic, Europeans do consume frozen foods, but not the way we do. Dozens of retail chains have sprung up that offer high-quality, nutritious, locally produced frozen dinners. Though recent years have seen the rise of internet-based delivery companies like HelloFresh (based out of Berlin, Germany), Blue Apron and Home Chef in the United States, they don’t offer the kind of day-to-day flexibility that neighborhood brick-and-mortar shops can provide.
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Gupta’s Pinwheel Provisions will allow families to choose different entrees, sides and desserts based on the preference of each family member. In Europe, a meal like that for a whole family would likely cost less than a family meal from an American fast food joint. And while meals from McDonalds, Burger King and the like are often looked down upon, these European-style pre-prepared dinners are served without shame.
“I was really impressed and inspired by these approaches, particularly by the fact that the French—arguably the most discriminating eaters in the world—embraced the frozen approach the most wholeheartedly. It is a big trend in Paris to throw dinner parties in which nothing but dishes from Picard, the ubiquitous frozen foods retail chain, are served,” Gupta explains.
Despite challenges at the former Narberth Pinwheel location, which opened just three weeks before the COVID-19 mandated lockdown, Gupta hopes the Bryn Mawr location will reach a more active customer base.
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“When we were given the opportunity to take a space in Bryn Mawr that was considerably larger, would be much more convenient in terms of parking for our customers and would allow us to finally keep regular business hours and add features like a sandwich bar and fresh pastries, we couldn’t pass it up,” she says.
Eagerly awaiting the grand opening of Pinwheel Provisions at 860 W. Lancaster Ave. on November 11, Gupta is excited to expand her selection beyond what she was capable of in Narberth. Of course, the aforementioned ‘Wich Way sandwich bar will serve items that embrace cuisines from Italy, Denmark, Austria, India and more, but the hyperlocal produce Pinwheel will offer brings a freshness that can’t be matched even at high-budget grocery outlets like Whole Foods. Gupta is also happy to bring back old favorites like butter chicken, ginger-lemongrass tofu and standout shepherd’s pie. Most of all, Gupta’s hopes to inspire customers to enjoy shopping at Pinwheel Provisions.
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“Most people consider food shopping about as much fun as getting an oil change,” she says. “We hope…the prospect of effortless meals makes visits to Pinwheel something to look forward to rather than a chore!”
Related: Dig Into These November Dining Updates Around the Main Line
