Owner Nader Hatami has put Steveston Pizza in the Guinness Book of World Records with his pricey pies. (Photo courtesy of Steveston Pizza)
Story by Michelle Hopkins
Vacay.ca Writer
RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA — In April 2014, Steveston Pizza owner Nader Hatami received a lot of press coverage for his high brow $450 C6 pie — a medley of lobster thermidor, black Alaskan cod, smoked salmon, tiger prawns and Russian Osetra caviar.
At the time, the pricey pie was considered by Guinness World Records to be the most expensive in world.
Well, move over C6. Hatami has just introduced an even heftier priced pizza, the $850 SeeNay. (This isn’t a typo!)
“The pizza costs me about $800 to make since Russian caviar is very expensive and white truffles fluctuate between $4,000 and $5,000 per kilo,” adds the master pizza creator.
SeeNay is a pizza cake covered in tiger prawns, lobster ratatouille, smoked Chilean steelhead, Russian caviar and then snowed with Italian white truffles.
“SeeNay comes in four slices with each reflecting a different theme, hence a different presentation,” says Hatami, adding he’s already sold two. “Every presentation is to correspond with its life span — from birth to eternity.”
Located in the seaside village of Steveston, the pizzeria is across from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. Hatami is launching a new location in Richmond, at the corner of Blundell Road and Railway Avenue. The new pizzeria is slated to open this month.
If the $850 is a bit too steep for you, Hatami also offers several less expensive pizzas you will be tempted to try.
Steveston’s Storybrooke Tale
Back in 1900, Steveston was a Wild West town — a hot spot for iniquity, housing brothels, opium dens and gambling rooms catering primarily to the thousands of fishermen in the village.
Steveston is steeped in a rich fishing tradition that spans more than 120 years. Originally a farming community, the commercial fishery established itself as the economic engine that allowed Steveston to come into its own in the late 1800s. The first cannery opened on the waterfront in 1882, and by 1890 Steveston was a boomtown, with 15 waterfront canneries.
Although it’s not what it used to be, Steveston is still home to Canada’s largest commercial fishing fleet, with more than 600 vessels. In less than a decade, the village has witnessed exploding growth in high-density condos and apartments that attract young, urban, professional couples.
Today, the village blends the best of urban sophistication with rural charm. It is a mixed bag of small independent shops, trendy restaurants, bistros and coffee shops, all within about eight square blocks. The main drags, besides No. 1 Road, include Moncton and Bayview and several side streets as well.
The Steveston wharf has been home to fishing boats for more than 150 years. (Julia Pelish/Vacay.ca)
Hollywood has also discovered this historic village. If you are a fan of ABC’s hit television series, Once Upon a Time, you might just recognize the Steveston Cannery Café. Once an old bunk house for cannery workers in the late 19th century, it stars as Granny’s Diner on the show. In addition, the Steveston Post Office and Visitor’s Centre transforms into the Storybrooke Post Office and the Steveston Coffee Company changes it’s signage to Storybrooke Coffee Co. You might even be lucky enough to spot some of the show’s big stars like Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White) and Robert Carlyle (Rumpelstiltskin).
Today, visitors flock here for the Steveston Salmon Festival, which takes place on Canada Day each year. When you visit, you’ll stroll the boardwalk of one of the busiest fishing ports in the world to purchase the catch of the day, or to pick up some of Steveston’s trademark fish ‘n chips at Pajo’s at The Wharf or Dave’s Fish ‘n Chips on Moncton Street.
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MORE ABOUT STEVESTON PIZZA CO.
Location: #100-3400 Moncton Street, Richmond (in village of Steveston)
Telephone: 1-604-204-0777
Website: www.stevestonpizza.com
Hours: Monday to Thursday 4-10 pm.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10 pm.
Menu Price Range: Pizzas range from $12 to $850 (Children’s pizzas run between $7 to $11)
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