A few weeks ago, I was invited to check out Neapolitan Express Pizza Truck. I had heard of them recently due to their “Rookie of the Year” nomination at the Vendy Awards. I met up with Sarah, who works for them, and she gave me a good amount of information about the truck and how they make the pizza. The truck launched earlier this year and really focused on the ingredients.
This was the brain child of Max Crespo who is hoping to expand quickly, from what she explained. The truck is outfitted with a 900 degree oven that cooks up these pizzas in just a few minutes and a dough press that makes fresh, quick, uniform crusts.
But one thing I thought was really important is that they are committed to being eco friendly. The truck runs on alternative energy and uses Compressed Natural Gas for its truck and generators. To quote their info: “CNG allows Neapolitan Express to reduce its Carbon emissions by 90% and Nitrogen emissions by 87%. These are the lowest emissions of any food truck on the road.” They also commit to donating to some great charities, including The Water Project, Thirst No More, and No Kid Hungry.
I like supporting a food truck with that kind of commitment.
They assemble everything right in front of you with fresh ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, which I love.
I chose to try the Bufala D.O.P. which came with San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, organic basil, cherry tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. Overall, I really liked it, though the giant basil leaves made it a wee bit hard to eat while standing on the street.
They only serve full pies, but they are well proportioned so you could easily share it, have yourself a big portion, or bring some home (which they make pretty easy to do… more on that later).
The crust was nicely crisped and had great flavor. I enjoyed how thin it was and it really helped the toppings stand out.
Their boxes are also made from recycled materials and can be composted and recycled. And the boxes themselves become plates and to-go containers. Check out this transformer:
All packed and ready to go.
This made it easy to transport by hand, but I was meeting a friend for coffee and didn’t quite know what to do with it. If I had been heading right home, it would have been easier.
Overall, I really enjoyed the pizza and I like what they stand for. I will be returning.
Thanks for inviting me out and for the complimentary pie, Neapolitan Express!
Full disclosure: While they invited me to try their pizza for free and provided me with information about the company, all opinions expressed in this blog entry are mine