Battle Ground resident serves up pizza at two Vancouver locations
Vancouver neighborhoods, like pizzas, come in many different styles.
And while some prefer the diverse mix in the downtown area, others are more enamored with east Vancouver's wide open spaces
For Dellan Redjou, co-owner of Smokey's Pizza, Hazel Dell's unique blend has always been her favorite, even though she is a California native who lives in Battle Ground.
"The community has always supported us and we support them," Redjou said.
Redjou's love of Vancouver extends beyond just serving pizza to area residents: she is also a member of the Building Industry Association, the Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek Business Association and will chair the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands on Saturday, May 15.
"We also donate to about 30 local schools, since Vancouver schools might be the best part of the community," Redjou said, who has two daughters attending Kingsway Christian School in Hazel Dell.
A native of San Francisco, Redjou's parents moved to Vancouver while she was visiting a former
exchange student in Brazil. She came up to live with them and fell in love in more ways than one, she said.
"After a while they told me they were going back to the Bay Area," Redjou said. "And I told them I was staying."
Eventually getting married, Redjou and her husband, Wayne, took over his family pizza business in 1981. Smokey's had been in Wayne's family since 1965 and according to Redjou, their flagship location on Highway 99 in Hazel Dell and their Orchards Fourth Plain Boulevard store are still serving the highest quality pizzas in Vancouver.
"Are our pizzas more expensive than other places? Yes. Will I apologize? No," Redjou said, referring to pie prices ranging from $11.50 for a simple pizza to $30 for a deluxe model.
Smokey's uses fresh ingredients and makes its own pizza sauce, and according to Redjou, is much more generous in topping quantity than most national pizza chains. Pepperoni and other ingredients are bought locally, she said.
"I've worked here for 31 years and I still love pizza. That has to say something," said Smokey's employee Clara Ward.
Smokey's also serves salads, sandwiches – even fish and chips.
According to Redjou, continuing to serve these products while "refusing to sacrifice quality to economics" is how the business weathered the recession – though Smokey's did have to close their St. John's Road location in Vancouver in 2009.
"This isn't our first recession, and it probably won't be our last," Redjou said. "But most people I talk to are much more optimistic about the future."
For some of the 38 employees at Smokey's two locations, working for Dellan and Wayne Redjou is more than just a weekly paycheck.
"These people are more than just employers, they are part of my extended family," said Jim Galyardt, crew member at their Hazel Dell location.
