Father, daughter operate adjacent businesses in downtown Meridian

MERIDIAN – It’s all in the family for Steve D’Avanzo and Julie Valenzuela.

Steve owns and operates Treasure Valley Smoke Shop, where you find fine cigars and tobacco, at 132 E. Idaho Avenue; his daughter, Julie, and her husband, Rick, an award-winning chef trained in Paris, own and operate Rick’s Press Room restaurant right next door at 130 E. Idaho Avenue. In fact, the businesses occupy joined areas in the remodeled 95-year-old former Idaho Power and IdaHealth offices.

“We bought the building in March and hired an architect and engineer,” Steve said. “We told them what we wanted and they put in on paper.”

Steve’s focus on cigars and fine tobacco evolved from a lifelong hobby into his current avocation. A native of New York, he moved in 1978 to the Bay Area, where he worked in the electrical supply industry for 28 years.

“My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter moved to Meridian nine years ago,” D’Avanzo said. “They sat me down and asked if there wasn’t some way for me to move up here to be closer to them.” His company found him a job here and he relocated, only to discover that six months later, “the boss retired and closed up the business. So I was out of work.”

But not for long. His son-in-law, Rick Valenzuela, was a trained chef working for a cuisine management company. “He learned the business side and wanted back behind the counter,” Steve said. “He found this building in Old Town with two storefronts, so I came and looked at the place. The original plan was to put in a cigar store and wine shop, a boutique winery such as your find in Napa Valley in Northern California.

“But there wasn’t enough space to do both, so I focused on the cigars, which have always been a passion of mine.”

Treasure Valley Smoke Shop is open seven days a week: Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. “for the football fans to watch games on TV while enjoying fine cigars.”

Steve maintains an inventory of over 400 boxes of different cigars, a number he expects to increase to 700.

“If the tobacconist knows what he’s doing, he can supply the customer with a good cigar at a reasonable price,” D’Avanzo said. He carries cigars laced with cognac, six kinds of Romeo y Julieta cigars from $6 to $7.50 each and many, many others.

On Friday, October 19th, from 4:00 p.m. till closing, Treasure Valley Smoke Shop will present an opportunity for customers to sample and savor eight varieties of Bucanero cigars, one of the top five premium cigars in the world today including the Clasico Maduro blend, winner of the cigar industry’s top 5 Maduro of the 20th-century award.

“This is a great job,” Steve said. “I share ideas with people, and Idahoans seem to be open and accommodating.” He finds his cigars at various places, including the internet and in trade papers. “I’m looking for cigars that are highly rated at reasonable prices,” he said. “I want to give my customers the most cigar for the dollar.

“Whoever said you can’t find a good cigar at an affordable price never came to Treasure Valley Smoke Shop,” he said. “Once an elegant thing to do, smoking is now prohibited in public places, even outdoors in parks, in many states. I wanted to create an atmosphere where people can be comfortable and enjoy a cigar at the same time.” That’s why he maintains a lounge as well as an all-Spanish cedar walk-in humidor.

D’Avanzo said the fastest-growing segment of cigar smokers is women. He plans to offer a course, “Cigar 101,” strictly for women to answer questions so they’ll know what they are looking for.”

At the same time, he maintains a healthy perspective on life and business. “I don’t want to be rich, just pay bills and offer quality products at affordable prices,” he said. For more information, call 898-1420 or visit www.treasurevalleysmokeshop.com.

Anyone who smokes knows it’s especially pleasurable after a meal. Next door to Treasure Valley Smoke Shop is Rick’s Press Room, where front-page features are framed and adorn the walls, giving rise to the slogan, “All the food that makes news.”

This is a family-friendly restaurant that caters to the young and young at heart. The kids’ menu, for those 11 and under, features Kraft® Mac ‘n Cheese, hamburgers, cheese pillows, gold nuggets (chicken), grilled cheese sandwiches with Campbell’s® Tomato Soup, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and sides of fries, corn, broccoli and green beans, Desserts include the ice cream of the day selected by Julie’s daughter (and Steve’s granddaughter) Abbey, plus fudge cake and cheese cake.

That’s only one of several menus offered in Rick’s Press Room. Head chef Rick Valenzuela won a scholarship from the Marriott company in San Diego to study in Paris, where he learned from renowned chef Roger Verge.

“We specialize in American comfort food with a flair, so even our meatloaf is special,” Julie said. They also have delicious Philly cheese and steak, pulled pork, club and other  sandwiches plus nutritious and delicious salads, all at great prices.

Winter hours for Rick’s Press Room are Monday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Friday from 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., and Saturday from 5:00-10:00 p.m. (dinner only). Phone 288-0558 for m ore information.

“We live and work in Meridian and want people to keep coming back,” Julie said.

The restaurant also boasts a sous (under) chef, Robby Washington from Riverside, California, who does a lot of the preparation for the head chef. Washington was a starting halfback for Boise State for three years back in the 1990s and plays a mean game of golf when he’s not garnishing salads or crafting a meal for customers.

“We want folks to come in and enjoy themselves,” he said.