Mobile Pizzeria Brings Old-World-Style Pizza To Tampa Bay

TAMPA, FL — After a successful debute last month, Cipriano Zonin mobile pizzeria is winning fans throughout Tampa Bay.

For Ashley Salmon, great-granddaughter of Cipriano Zonin, the reception validated her steadfast belief in her family's popular recipes perfected over generations in her ancestral hometown of Gambellara, Italy.

As a newly arrived immigrant, her great-grandfather, for which the company is named, brought his family's closely guarded Old World recipes to Manhattan, New York, in the 1920s.

Before long, Zonin's Italian sausage featuring a singular blend of spices was in high demand, prompting Zonin to relocate to a larger facility in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Now his granddaughter is following in his footsteps in Tampa's growing pizza scene with ingredients like imported Italian plum tomatoes, Luganiga sausage, imported Italian double-zero flour, house-made Sicilian cream sauce and more.

The pizzas are made in a 28-foot truck—the exterior of which proudly features the brand’s namesake. Inside is a stone oven manufactured in New England that gives its 22-inch pies a crispy crust and distinct flavor.

The menu features four specialty pizzas — cheese with imported Italian plum tomatoes, premium shredded mozzarella and pecorino Romano; pepperoni with imported Italian plum tomatoes, premium shredded mozzarella, cup-n-char pepperoni and pecorino Romano; Sicilian cream with extra virgin olive oil, spinach, premium fresh mozzarella, house-made Sicilian cream sauce and pecorino Romano; and hot Luganiga with extra virgin olive oil, premium fresh mozzarella, house-made Luganiga (wine and cheese sausage), red sauce dollops, fresh basil and pecorino Romano.

The pizza is served by the slice and ranges from $4.25 to $5.24.

“Beyond the flavor of our pizza, we want people to feel like family,” said Salmon, who operates the food truck with her husband, John. “As a self-proclaimed Ancestry.com addict, it has been incredibly rewarding to bring my family’s rich history to life through something new that we can share with the masses.”

John and Ashley Salmon met in Nashville in 2016 and were married in 2021, sharing a passion for one another and quality food.

Ashley Salmon worked in corporate hospitality and eyewear, and John Salmon juggled an acting career with his job as a pizza chef at the Nashville-based 5 Points Pizza.

In December, the couple decided to make the journey to Tampa and into their own pizzeria, handling everything from the brand development and design, the menu, the design and construction of their mobile pizzeria and the marketing of their new venture.

“I’m the one with the kitchen skills, and Ashley brings the family recipes and an amazing passion for keeping the tradition alive. We both know good food and make a perfect team,” said John Salmon. “We hope to show Tampa Bay our love for our family and these recipes through excellent pizza.”

The brand will maintain its primary presence in Tampa, traveling between Tampa and St. Petersburg.

This weekend, the mobile pizzeria will be at Pete's General in Ybor City Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and at Ethan Allen in Tampa Saturday. To keep track of Cipriano Zonin's weekly schedule, visit their Facebook page.

Customers can also secure the truck for catering and event services.