A world of ingredients and bargains awaits shoppers at Big John's PFI

Recently, a friend told me about Big John's Pacific Food Importers just south of the International District. She regaled me with tales of 200 varieties of cheese; an extensive bulk section that holds the keys to perfecting ethnic dishes; and the sale area that houses treasures untold.

In the next breath, she warned me how tricky it is to find. But by then there was no way I was going to let geography stop me. It was Big John's PFI or bust.

The store's Web site directs visitors to a green, white and red awning on an old building south of Airport Way on Sixth Avenue South. The store is tucked off the street a bit, but wasn't too difficult to locate, and before long I was pushing my cart  down the aisles, mouth agape at the sheer variety of foods there.

"Big John" Croce started PFI in the 1970s when he began selling olive oil to Seattle's Greek community. The store was on Dearborn Street near Goodwill, and moved to its current location 15 years ago. Croce, 85, still spends his mornings at the warehouse before heading home at lunchtime to watch Westerns for the rest of the afternoon.

The store is a veritable stew of cultural culinary delights, featuring foods from India, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, England, Spain and South America, among others. It's possible to find many of these products at other stores, but you certainly won't find all of them under one roof anyplace else.

Rose and elderflower syrups sit alongside jars of dried apricot paste, marinated mushrooms, tins of octopus, and tuna belly packed in olive oil. The bulk section has sumac, Middle Eastern red and green zatar, demerara sugar and a swarma spice mix.

The cheese case is a marvel, and employees are helpful and liberal with samples. There is a one-pound minimum for purchases, except for cheese that costs more than $20 per pound and blue-style cheese. I sampled a Pecorino Tartufo (truffled pecorino; $24.35 per pound) and a sublime 18-month-aged Beemster Classic Gouda ($13.40 per pound).

In the rear of the store is a sale section with an ever-changing selection of discontinued, damaged, slightly past-date or overstocked items. On my recent visit, I noted a three-pound bag of fine breadcrumbs for $4.50, crunched cans of San Marzano tomatoes for $3.50 and Farro flour for $4.99.

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