Dick’s Northwest Sausage and Deli, a longtime staple of the Centralia community, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 19, as it hosted the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Business After Hours event.
The deli was originally established in 1983 by Richard “Dick” Young, who wanted to bring old-world custom smoked meats to the Centralia community. Additionally, he provided meat processing for hunters, which the deli still does to this day.
Located at 5945 Prather Road SW in Centralia, the business is now run by Young’s daughter, Julie Pendleton, who took over following Young’s death 14 years ago. While little things have been adjusted here and there, she said the deli is still operated mostly the same way Young ran it.
Her husband, Dave Pendleton, now runs Dick’s Brewing Company alongside the deli, overseeing beer production and distribution.
“We have done some new things, tried new recipes and other adventures like that, just to keep things fresh for the customers, but the mainstays are still here,” Julie Pendleton said.
Following her father’s death, Julie Pendleton had the option of closing down the deli and pursuing other interests, but she couldn’t do it.
“I worked for my dad before he passed away and I look back to 14 years ago when he did pass away, and the idea of (the deli) going away, I obviously had a choice, but I couldn’t let it go. It’s home to me,” Julie Pendleton said.
She worked on and off at the deli while in high school and college and took over as a manager about five years before Young died.
Not only did she have strong family connections to the deli, but relationships with customers that she didn’t want to lose either. One of Young’s grandchildren now works at Dick’s.
“Our employees are family too,” Julie Pendleton added.
The deli does everything from stuffing sausages and curing salamis and pepperonis to smoking pork.
Dick’s also features classic deli sandwiches such as Cuban and Reuben sandwiches, along with local favorites like the Grand Mound Trio — a sandwich featuring extra-large portions of roast beef, turkey and ham with house-sliced Swiss and provolone cheeses, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato on sourdough bread.
Additionally, customers can purchase beer made by Dick’s Brewing Company, which Young opened in 1994. The brewery will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year.
While Young’s passion for custom smoked meats started the original business, he also liked to brew beer. He began brewing and letting deli customers sample the beer. Demand for the beer eventually grew to the point he had to open a separate facility.
As for the beer itself, Dave Pendleton explained that like the deli, most of the original recipes are still used, though they do produce new styles in smaller batches.
“We try to do at least 10 new beers a year, even if it’s just for here at the deli,” Dave Pendleton said. “It keeps the brewers interested more, instead of having to brew the same thing every week.”
While the brewery used to distribute to multiple states, the family downscaled the operation as they discovered they could maintain the same revenue by only distributing in-state and saving on shipping costs, Dave Pendleton explained.
Dick’s Brewing Company is located at 3516 Galvin Road in Centralia. For more information on both Dick’s Northwest Sausage and Deli and Dick’s Brewing Company, visit https://dicksbeer.com/.
Dick’s Northwest Sausage and Deli is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Dick’s Brewing Company is open for tastings from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
