By Kate Scriven
Julie Young, owner of Northwest Sausage and Deli and Dick’s Brewing Company, practically grew up in the popular Centralia restaurant and smokehouse. Started in 1983 by her father, Dick Young, the smokehouse has grown into a full service restaurant, as well as spawning the popular Dick’s Brewing Company. On Thursday, October 24, a celebration will be held to honor the legacy of the founder, Julie’s father Dick Young, and the tradition of warm hospitality, family atmosphere, and delicious meat that has been the cornerstone of NW Sausage and Deli for 30 years.
Dick Young began his lifelong work with meats during high school, behind the counter of Midway Meats in Centralia. Trained as a butcher, Young operated his own meat processing business in Rochester, serving customers for eight years. Looking for a business that would be less seasonal, he began to experiment with smoked meats and sausages.
The dream of opening his own deli became a reality, and a full-time family business, in 1983. “I was just a kid when we starting building the deli,” shares Julie Young. “It started as a field where my brother and I would run through the dirt, and later, climb in the framing. My mom would keep a mattress at the building site to put my brother and me to sleep on as she and my dad worked late into the night to get it all done.” The history Young has with the deli doesn’t stop there.
She worked the counter through high school and college and watched as her father expanded the dining area and food offerings. All sausages are made fresh on-site and as the popularity of Dick Young’s own recipes grew, the need for a larger processing area became apparent. Again, the building was expanded to house a larger sausage making area.
Through all the changes and growth, including the opening of Dick’s Brewing Company 10 years ago by her father, and in 2009, his sudden death, Young knows that NW Sausage and Deli will always be a part of her. “I just feel at home when I’m here,” she explains. And for long-time patrons, and even those who are newcomers, the deli also has a sense of home.
Celebrating 30 Years of Excellent Food
The deli, located on Prather Road halfway between Grand Mound and Centralia, is open daily at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. making it a perfect place to stock up on sausages or cheeses for the week, enjoy a freshly made sandwich, hot or cold, for lunch, or to pick up cold Dick’s Beers to take home. However, on Thursday and Friday nights, the chefs at the Deli serve up delicious dinner fare until 9 p.m. and while the full lunch menu is available, dinner specials, including Dick’s famous prime-rib, are featured.
On Thursdays, the deli hosts a Brewer’s Dinner featuring specials cooked with one of Dick’s Brewing Company’s 12 beers or paired with the perfect pint. Popular past dishes include appetizers like Bacon Wrapped Meatballs and Jalapenos stuffed with smoked cheese paired with Dick’s Working Man’s Brown and an entrée of Smoked Sausage Stuffed Pork Loin paired with Dick’s Best Bitter. Is your mouth watering yet?
The Deli’s ever-popular cheeseburger, featuring their house-smoked cheddar is always popular, but even more so when paired with Dick’s Beer-Battered Onion Rings and Pickles (trust me…they are amazing). These fried delights can pair with any beer on tap, and the deli boasts 11 handles daily.
“Beer gives food an interesting flavor,” shares Young. “You can taste it in our recipes and it enhances the food.” And pairing beer with meat is a natural because, “Well, we have a lot of beer and a lot of meat,” she laughs.
To help celebrate all that delicious meat, served for the last 30 years, and the refreshing beers that go so well with it for the last 10, stop by NW Sausage and Deli on Thursday, October 24 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and celebrate the legacy of Dick Young and the years of history the Deli has forged in the community. Raise a glass, as well, to the bright future that Julie Young and her family have planned for this local icon.
Deli samples and appetizers will be served throughout the day, dinner specials will be featured and an atmosphere of celebration will be front and center. Raffles will be held for door prizes including deli products and a Cajun Injector Smoker.
“We’d love it if people would bring pictures of the deli through the years,” shares Young. There will be posters of historical photos and people are encouraged to bring their own to add. Young encourages people to bring their stories, too, and will have a memory book for anecdotes of the deli’s history to be recorded.
“People come in all the time and tell us stories of when they were young and visited the Deli. They say that visiting reminds them of their childhood. We hope our celebration on Thursday can be a time to share those memories as a community, and of course, eat some great meat.”
5945 Prather Road
Centralia, Washington 98531
(360) 736-7760
