Backpacker Pizza opens in downtown Camas

Pizza has returned to downtown Camas and, this time, even people adhering to vegan and gluten-free diets will have the chance to enjoy a slice or even a whole pie.

Backpacker Pizza, owned and operated by Jami and Rod Harris and their three adult children, including their son, Mackenzie Harris, the restaurant’s head chef and general manager, opened in late November and, three weeks in, had already garnered 15 five-star reviews online.

The new pizza shop, located at 421 N.E. Cedar St., in a downtown Camas space formerly occupied by the Attic Gallery, offers a variety of 12-inch pizzas and salads made with seasonal ingredients the Harrises often source from local and regional farms. This includes vegan and gluten-free pizzas made in separate areas designed to help prevent cross-contamination.

Backpacker Pizza is currently collaborating with several regional farms, creameries and other food producers, including Alpine Growers, the Camas-based Shady Grove Farm, Yamhill County Mushrooms, Kestrel Cascadia Farm and Creamery, Umpqua Valley Lamb and Portland Gluten-Free for their vegan and gluten-free pizza crusts.

“Everything is fresh, not frozen. And we strive to stay in the Pacific Northwest region when sourcing greens and proteins,” Jami Harris said. “In fact, a great majority of these products we use are ‘hyperlocal,’ (grown or raised) within 30 minutes of Camas.”

Some of Backpacker Pizza’s most popular seasonal pizzas include the “Thru-Hiker,” topped with arugula, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, microgreens, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and marinara sauce, and the “House Build,” a pizza featuring a marinara base that is topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, black olives, mushrooms, roasted garlic and seared steak.

Classic pizza options include cheese; pepperoni; veggie; pineapple with bacon, pepperoni and red onions; the “supreme” with pork sausage, mushrooms, red onion, sweet peppers, black olives; and a caprese pizza with fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

The restaurant also offers a children’s menu, desserts — including a berry panna cotta (an Italian custard) and chocolate chip cookies — and a wide variety of drinks, including beer, wine, kombucha, iced tea, lemonade and sodas, including an on-tap root beer from Snoqualmie Falls Brewery that has proven to be a popular option.

“We strive to source our beers and wines from the local region as well,” Jami Harris said. “Most of our taps are from Southwest Washington or Portland, and many of our cans and bottles are hyperlocal as well.”

Backpacker Pizza also offers coffee made from beans roasted in Alaska at Kaladi Brothers Coffee, a favorite coffee roaster for the Harris family, who lived in Alaska for decades before moving to Camas in 2018.

“We fell deeply in love with Camas,” Jami Harris said, adding that the more time the family spent in downtown Camas, the more at home they felt in their new community.

Jami, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, and Rod, a retired firefighter, said they had dreamed of opening a family friendly restaurant in downtown Camas that would welcome not only adults but also the community’s children and teenagers.

“We wanted it to be a place for families … and we knew we wanted to be downtown,” Jami Harris said.

The couple, who had long entertained family and friends with inventive pizzas baked in their home pizza oven, also knew downtown Camas was in need of a new pizza joint after Camas Slices closed in April 2023. In 2024, when the Attic Gallery space opened, the Harrises jumped on the opportunity and began planning their dream pizza shop. Their son, Mackenzie Harris, who studied business management in college, was a perfect fit for managing the pizza shop. As head chef, Mackenzie has crafted winning recipes and helped source local and regional ingredients.

The family also hopes to feature local and regional artists inside their pizza shop. Current artwork inside Backpacker Pizza includes photos by Camas-based photographer John Bryn and abstract art by Jami Harris’ sister-in-law, Portland artist Rachel Wolf.

For more information, visit backpackerpizza.com or instagram.com/backpackerpizza, call 360-773-1971 or email contact@backpackerpizza.com.