2019 is shaping up to be the year of quirky food trucks in Shreveport-Bossier. Hot on the heels of the debut of May the Cheese Be With You, a Star Wars-themed grilled cheese truck, Sal Marciano has introduced his insane pizza ambulance, Sal’s Emergency Pizza Services (Various locations, 318-762-2137). Marciano previously served his pizza at The Sandbar in downtown Shreveport, where he catered to a late-night (and early morning) drinking crowd. Sometime in mid-May, he introduced his incredible new mobile pizzeria.
Why an ambulance?
“People kept telling me, ‘Your pizza saved my life, man,'” Marciano said. “So, I kind of kept coming back to that as I was deciding what the truck would be like. The ambulance was just perfect.”
The ambulance itself was purchased during a public auction in Michigan. Marciano’s first drive in the ambulance was the return trip home from Michigan to Louisiana, if you can imagine that. He and his friends spent “about two months” customizing the ambulance in his back yard, often working on it until the wee hours of the morning.
Sal’s serves a small menu of pizza pies with standard toppings as well as pasta bowls and quesadillas. The truck has been appearing at businesses ranging from bars to car lots, and has been selling out regularly during its first few weeks in business.
On the day of my visit, Sal’s had been hit hard by an early lunch crowd, with only a few pies left and a failing power generator. Despite that situation, he was all smiles. I’ve seen dozens of food truck operators fighting similar situations, but Sal was the first one that I’ve seen who’s managed to smile through the pandemonium. Due to the line and the delays – and probably the fact that I had a camera and a million questions – I got handed a free pizza, which I try to never let happen. But I believe pizzas from Sal’s run $10-$15, depending on toppings.
The pizza itself was really good, in a simple and unpretentious way. This isn’t Neapolitan pizza; it’s cheesy, decadent, doughy goodness that really would be the perfect lifesaver of a meal at the end of a night out with friends.
Like Sal’s Emergency Pizza Services on Facebook.
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