From unique pizzas to giant cookies: Ciao Down does it all and more

Pizza wasn’t Paul Reyes’ first choice.

In 2015, Reyes wanted to bring something different to the food truck scene, coming up with plans to buy a mobile eatery that was more than just a plain-old truck. He envisioned an open-concept truck, where customers could sit and watch their food being made, mesmerized by seeing workers take ingredients and transform them into something delicious.

When he was looking at one of the trucks for sale, pizza ovens were already installed. Those ovens called to Reyes. Something in him knew this was the direction he needed to go in.

Reyes dove head first into pizza, learning everything he could about the Italian delicacy by watching videos, reading books and speaking to fellow pizza makers.

Soon, a cherry-red bus hit the streets of Tucson. Customers could watch pizza dough fly up in the air and land safely back into the hands of Reyes. It was a new twist on dinner and a show, and the community was hooked.

One truck with pizza ovens changed Reyes’ life and our tastebuds, proving to us that pizza doesn’t just have to be tomato sauce and a few pepperonis.

From serving over 300 pizzas in a day to new restaurant concepts, Ciao Down continues to serve food that has a "pizza" our hearts. (cheesy right? 🤪)

After the Ciao Down Pizza Bus opened in 2015, it didn’t take long for the concept to gain popularity. In fact, they were so in-demand Reyes had to start thinking about a possible expansion.

In 2022, the Ciao Down Culinary Studio, located at 3230 N. Dodge Blvd., was born. Just like their bus, their first brick-and-mortar also features an open concept kitchen and most importantly, a fancy pizza oven that comes straight from Italy.

Once you step into the culinary studio, the smell of fresh baked bread fills the air. Their pastry chef, Bina Kiwaczyk, pulls a fluffy, golden brown loaf of focaccia out of the oven while other workers are hard at work rolling raspberry truffles in decadent chocolate.

Before you start levitating off the floor thanks to the garlicy aroma that surrounds you, you’ll see their pizza chefs, like Zach Luna, delicately tossing pizza dough in the air, kneading the dough in circles in order to make the perfect shape.

They then sprinkle on fresh toppings before putting it into the oven. As you watch it slowly spin around in the oven and then cool down on a metal rack, your mouth will start to water, contemplating whether it’s worth the third-degree burns if you just leapt across the counter to take a bite.

“A lot of what I was learning was based on Neapolitan style pizza, which I actually don't like at all,” Reyes said. “I was taking the traditional way of making Neapolitan pizza and kind of mashing it together with the pizza I grew up with like Domino's, Pizza Hut and Little Caesars.”

You see the two pizza inspirations come together in their crust. Before it’s ready to use, the dough must go through a four-day cold fermentation process; that way the pizza spinners can toss it all around without fear of it collapsing.

Once it's baked, you’re left with a thin yet firm crust. It’s airy and fluffy without being droopy or soggy. You’re biting into a soft, warm crust that is the perfect compliment to the crazy toppings that are put on top.

The unique flavors and toppings at Ciao Down are what sets them apart from the rest. Barbeque chicken, fig and prosciutto and meatballs with provolone and ricotta are all on the menu. They even have the "Big Dill," a pizza that comes with garlic cream sauce, mozzarella, provolone, fresh dill and hand-sliced pickles.

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That one is so popular, Reyes said customers would riot if this pizza left their menu.

“In the early days on the food truck, we would constantly be trying new pizzas and when we opened the studio, it was the same thing,” Reyes said. “We just kind of let everyone go wild and choose ingredients, whether they would find those online, or it was an experience that they had somewhere else. Last year, we actually got rid of our meatball pizza during the summertime, and I received messages from folks that were expressing their concern.”

Their most popular flavor came from the mind of Reyes’ wife. The couple loved to serve jalapeño poppers at their parties, topped with raspberry chipotle jam and cream cheese, so why not try it on a pizza?

The Legendary Snake Bite includes all those spicy and sweet flavors. Instead of tomato sauce, the pizza uses a chipotle raspberry jam. It’s then topped with mozzarella, provolone, dollops of cream cheese, slices of jalapeños and pieces of hickory bacon.

Doubts of whether jam works on a pizza wash away as soon as you take a bite. You’re first hit with the bright, sweet flavors of the jam, then out of nowhere things start to heat up. The jalapeños and chipotle flavors add a spicy kick, setting your mouth a buzz.

The heat is extinguished once you get a taste of the creamy cream cheese and crispy bacon bits. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, leaving you wanting more and more with each slice you devour.

Their pizzas, especially the Legendary Snake Bite, have developed a dedicated fan following. Just last month, Ciao Down broke a personal record, serving 323 pizzas in one day.

“I built this entire place expecting to do about 70 to 100 pizzas a night,” Reyes said. “Two weekends ago, we hit our record of 323 pizzas, so it's a little bit more than we had anticipated.”

If things couldn’t get any crazier, Ciao Down is adding two new ventures to their pizza empire. Next door to the culinary studio is TREAT by Ciao Down. Reyes gave pastry chef Kiwaczyk a credit card and a mixer, letting her have full control of this new dessert space.

Here, customers can get fresh bread and homemade desserts like giant caramel chocolate chip cookies, colorful bite-sized French macarons, carrot cake with brown butter frosting and so much more. They even have gelato made by a Phoenix-based company called Grateful Spoon. It’s almost impossible to choose a flavor as you stare at the buckets full of espresso crunch, berry cheesecake and whiskey caramel gelato.

I got a cupful of the cinnamon churro flavor to cool me off after a brutal 90-degree day. The creamy gelato was full of chunks of soft, cinnamon churros that melted in my mouth. I couldn’t help but shed tears of happiness as I took huge bites of gelato.

Reyes is also bringing his beloved pizzas to the north side. He is currently working on opening Ciao Down Kitchen, located at 6781 N. Thornydale Road, that’ll be like a combination of Ciao Down and TREAT. Expect to see their pizzas as well as sandwiches, salads, appetizers and of course, gelato on the menu here.

We can all thank that one fateful truck for allowing us to indulge in the mouthwatering pizza, gelato and baked goods Reyes and his team bring to our plates.

“I just grew up absolutely loving going to restaurants,” Reyes said. “It was a celebratory time, it was a fun time and it was a good time. I'm just super excited to be able to bring those experiences to everybody.”