POULSBO — Most people marry into a family.
Nick Reynolds married into a restaurant dynasty.
Together with his wife Joleen, Reynolds recently opened a branch of Seabeck Pizza in Poulsbo, the fourth in a chain of eateries started by his father-in-law Jerry Anderson 15 years ago. And while four locations keep him on his toes, Reynolds seems to have settled into the life of slinging cheese and slathering sauce.
“I like it,” he commented about being in the pizza business. “I like the challenge. It is tough. Every day is different.”
The original Seabeck Pizza was opened by Anderson in 1989 and has since become a landmark of the area. Anderson opened a Belfair store in 1991, which Nick and Joleen bought in 1999. The couple then opened a Chico store in 2001 and then the Poulsbo locale in late 2003.
“We’re good to go for a while I think,” Reynolds said with a chuckle.
From their Port Orchard home, he and Joleen spend their days commuting between their four locations while juggling life with their two young children. They do jobs from balancing the books and other administrative jobs to making pizzas and answering the phones. However, Reynolds jokes that Joleen is definitely the harder worker of the two.
“I’d say she works 51 percent and I work 49 percent,” Reynolds said.
But whether it’s savoring a slice of Seabeck pizza on the shores of Seabeck or Liberty Bay, Reynolds said all of their locations strive for fresh, unique food with a side order of good customer service.
“I think what puts us above the others is product and service,” he said. “We make everything from scratch here. The veggies are cut rather than out of a can. And rather than three pepperonis, you get 30.”
From the pizza crusts to tomato and pesto sauces, all of the recipes are Anderson’s own creations. In fact, the recipes are such heavily-guarded family secrets that the spices are pre-measured for employees, so no one but the inner circle knows for sure the ratio.
The crust is also a signature recipe, which Reynolds said many people have said is better than what they’ve sampled in New York. Deep dish is standard, but thin crust is also available. One pound of cheese goes onto every large pizza, or for a hungrier crowd, Reynolds suggests the monstrous 26-inch party pizza, which boasts 40 slices.
“No one else has that,” he said.
But no matter the size, Reynolds said another secret to Seabeck Pizza’s success is baking all of its pies in deck ovens. The more traditional-style of cooking takes a little longer, but Reynolds said the benefit is palpable.
“It’s the difference between having your pizza cooked in four minutes or 15 minutes,” he commented.
Pizzas are available at the Poulsbo restaurant, and all Seabeck’s other locations, for dine in, take out, home-bake and delivery home-bake. The original Seabeck Pizza also offers boat delivery beginning in February and Nick said they have toyed with offering the same service to Poulsbo boaters eventually.
The eatery also offers bread sticks, cheese sticks, salads, pizza by the slice and hot sandwiches.
In the three months that the Seabeck Pizza Poulsbo location has been open, right next door to the Mucky Duck on Viking Avenue, Reynolds said his best advertising has been word of mouth. And the word around town has definitely gotten the locale a loyal following.
“There’s people who come in every Monday, every Tuesday, every Friday and get the same things. There’s definitely repeat customers and then every couple of days we get a new customer,” he remarked.
