Stephanie and Jared Vincench would like to welcome you to V’s Coastal Market & Deli at 1304 Pacific Avenue in Long Beach. Stop by and find out what all the buzz is about.

The seasons are on a roll

Cooler temperatures in Central Washington — dropping from 100-plus to low 90s — give our fruit growers and ag workers a little respite. But, still, these wacky seasons have wreaked havoc with our state’s fruit crops. Apples might begin to be picked this coming week, but Tim at the Red Barn (and the Little Red School House Sporting Goods) outside of Naches says, “Apples could go into November this year. That means growers will get stuck between picking and cold nights and frost. Everything is weeks late.”

Cool too long, then too dry, then way too hot. I can’t tell you the relief I felt on my last trip back home from Yakima over the Cascades when I got to the top of the Megler Bridge and I felt those breezes blowing up the river. I opened all my windows and basked in the clear cool air.

Now, home again, I’m watching the flowers of mid-summer fade. Only my roses and Shasta daisies are still trying to bloom, and the last of the penstemon and potentilla are hanging on. Part of the joy I feel on the Peninsula is living so close to nature. I can look out any window and watch our seasons unfurl. The beauty and rhythm of the natural world feeds my soul. Yes, cities are wonderful too — how long can one live without a symphony performance? great sushi? or a newsstand with The New York Times? I’ve always been torn by this dichotomy. Life in Nahcotta feels just right; but an occasional trip to Seattle or Portland is necessary too.

A real deli!

So it was with extreme anticipation last month that I wandered into Jared and Stephanie Vincench’s V’s Coastal Market & Deli — 1304 Pacific Avenue South in Long Beach, 360-777-3086 — and ordered a capicola (a dry-cured ham) on rye with provolone. It came with a side salad: macaroni or potato (both delish). The only thing missing was the pickle.

When Jared handed me my precious bundle, I was impressed immediately by its heft. And upon opening the wrapper — wow! A real deli sandwich, thick with meat and cheese, tons of veggies, and good quality everything. I was thrown back immediately to my college days in West Philly when a trip to Koch’s Deli was a reward for a long day on campus.

Jared and Stephanie — and their two kiddos, Josie five and Norrin four — have been visitors to the Peninsula for years. Decamping from Seattle had been on their wish-list for some time, and then they just decided, “Why wait?” They moved here and have never looked back.

The deli is growing daily by word-of-mouth; already the Vincench’s have been found by a steady stream of locals. But they’re still a hidden treasure for most folks. And they’re still developing their deli counter. I asked if they might be able to carry Lebanon baloney — a Pennsylvania favorite of the Gable family that we’ve had trouble getting over the years. Stephanie said she’d get on it. But even without a huge array of selections, they’ve already proven to me that their culinary imagination is profound.

More deli fun

The second time I came in for a sandwich, Jared had a pickled beef panini on the board as the daily special. I decided to try it — and double-wow! — this one knocked my socks off. When I went back the next day to ask about it, Jared gave away one of the secrets: Chaka sauce: chakasmmm.com.

Chaka, the creator of Chaka marinade and BBQ sauce, is “roughly the size and shape of a large mailbox,” was born in Guam, and became a “character-around-town” in Union City, California. Jared remembers that so many things in his grandmother’s kitchen in Newark, California were jazzed up with Chaka sauce. So, of course, he’s using it in amazing ways at the deli, too — and they also sell it. I should note that they have a modest but exciting selection of high-end grocery and picnic items in the deli market.

Anyway, the spicy beef panini with cream cheese and Chaka sauce has risen to the top of my list of favorites. But food isn’t the only charming thing about the deli. The day I came it to grab his sandwich creation, Jared had one of the most amazing hairdos I’ve ever seen. He’s got a curly black head of hair and on this particular day he’d fanned it stiff and straight out around his head like the wide brim of a pith helmet. (I found out later it takes him about 20 minutes to get it right.) I’m not sure which was more awe-inspiring — that sandwich or his hairdo. But, in any case, I knew right then that I was going to be a fan-girl of V’s Coastal Deli.

Both Jared and Stephanie are talented in the kitchen. Jared, an electrician in his past life, is generally the one you’ll see behind the counter. Stephanie has culinary training and is usually the one to create and test innovative sandwich combinations; she’s often working in the back kitchen. (Jared helps, but Stephanie makes all the deli salads and baked goods from scratch.) The day I came in to talk to them, they’d been waiting for a delivery. When a fellow came through the door with a hand truck of stacked boxes, it took Stephanie about one hot second to catch a glimpse of what he was rolling in — then she called out to Jared, “No, we don’t need that 200 pounds of Tillamook cheese. That’s not ours.” These two are on the ball.

As anyone knows who runs the kind of business that makes and serves food to customers, it’s nearly a 24/7 job; and preparing food might not even be the half of it. Stocking shelves, keeping track of inventory, running the books, ordering, pricing, cleaning up, marketing: all those behind-the-scenes activities must be right or the front end of the business — making and selling food — won’t be sustainable. These two seem to have the right blend of talents needed to make a long-term go of it. And in their short time on the Peninsula they’ve also done a remarkable job of becoming part of the community. They get produce from Glory B Farm; they carry Kombucha on tap; and they’re talking to Fred Johnson about other produce.

“We love being here,” says Stephanie. “Everything is just so much easier. Josie wanted to take ballet and we made one call and set it up. In Seattle this wouldn’t have been possible.” It’s thrilling to have this talented couple decide to weave their skills into the fabric of our small community. As Jared says, “We wanted to be able to give back too, to contribute to where we live.” Bringing their imaginations and hard work into the deli is their gift to us.

In other news

Diana Thompson announced that her mother Marian Lee is turning 100 years old on Sunday this week. To celebrate, there are two events: Sept. 3 is a no-host breakfast at the Peninsula Senior Center in Klipsan, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Or, if you’re not an early-bird, you can drop by their house for cake and coffee anytime between 1 to 4 p.m. to help the family celebrate. Marian is also one of our elder veterans, and has been celebrated at several of the past Vet Lunches. Stop by if you can and congratulate her on a life well-lived and still going strong.

And last, but I hope not least, sister Starla and I will be closing this season of Oysterville Vespers with a performance of folk music at the church on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3 p.m. We’ll be featuring the tunes of women singer-songwriters. I hope you can join us.