For over two decades, Jacqui and Phil Dixon have been Auckland’s go-to source for the kind of European ingredients that make home cooks feel like professionals and professionals come back for more. Sabato operates on multiple levels—importer, distributor, retailer—but what matters most to the average food enthusiast is their Mount Eden shop, where the shelves groan under the weight of carefully sourced Italian, Spanish and French artisan products.

The cheese selection alone justifies the trip: wheels of Manchego at various ages, Pecorino Romano that’s salty enough to make you pucker, creamy gorgonzola, and French soft cheeses that require strategic timing and a good sense of ripeness. The charcuterie runs deep with paper-thin prosciutto, chorizo in both sweet and spicy varieties, Spanish jamón, and Italian salumi that would make a nonna weep with approval.

Pasta comes in every conceivable shape—bronze-die cut for superior sauce-gripping ability—alongside bottles of Sicilian capers, anchovies in oil, and tinned seafood that’s leagues beyond whatever’s at the supermarket. The olive oils are taken seriously here, with single-estate bottles that vary wildly in flavour depending on the region and harvest, and aged balsamic vinegars that cost as much as decent wine (but are worth every drop).

Sweet provisions include Italian biscuits, Spanish turron, French chocolate, and enough high-quality preserves to keep your morning toast interesting for months.

Sabato supplies many of New Zealand’s best restaurants, which tells you something about the quality, but they’re equally happy to help home cooks navigate the overwhelming world of European provisions—advice freely given, flavour highly encouraged.