Don't be alarmed, it's only pizza: Hook & Ladder rings up new pizza outlet

Rusty Rae/News-Register##Keely Avila Gigoux lifts a freshly cooked pie from the wood-fire oven in her food truck, Hook & Ladder Pizza, which is built into a retired fire engine. Hook & Ladder parks at Lowe’s in McMinnville Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

You may see some smoke and a big, red firetruck in the parking lot at Lowe’s, but it’s not an emergency – unless you’re hungry for pizza, at least.

Hook & Ladder Pizza rolls into the lot every Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday to offer slices and whole pies from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Laura Clendenin and her husband, David Bensch, started the pizza truck in Newberg in 2019. It’s now being operated by her daughter, Keely Avila Gigoux, and her husband, Eli Avila Painti. They’ve expanded to the McMinnville location, in addition to parking at Ace Hardware in Newberg on Fridays.

Clendenin was looking for a business she could do in retirement. She considered a coffee cart, then found the firetruck-turned-pizza-kitchen online.

Located in Muncie, Indiana, the 1980 Ford Pierce fire truck had served its essential service for 20 years in Ohio. After it was decommissioned, new owners installed a wood-fire pizza oven and created an indoor preparation area.

Clendenin and Bensch flew to Indiana state to check it out, and had it towed back to Oregon.

“It gets about four miles per gallon,” Avila Gigoux said, explaining why they didn’t drive.

She does drive the truck from Newberg to McMinnville. It’s heavy and gets a lot of stares, she said, but it’s fun to drive.

She enjoys seeing kids’ faces when they see it, too. She often blasts the air horn for their amusement.

“We get some very unique reactions,” she said.

Avila Gigoux started parking at Lowe’s in December. “It’s a blessing to find such a good location,” she said.

She said Hook & Ladder always has slices available, usually cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian and other favorites. It also offers whole 14-inch pies with a variety of toppings, which can be customized with vegetables and different meats.

Her own favorite is the chicken, bacon, ranch pizza featuring fire-roasted garlic made on the truck.

Most other varieties feature red sauce, which Avila Gigoux said is a secret recipe she recommends highly. She loves it with pepperoni, pineapple and banana peppers.

Avila-Gigoux said it takes about 15 minutes to cook a full pizza, although slices are available immediately most of the time. She likes to talk with customers about how crispy they’d like the edges and other details.

For more information, call Hook & Ladder at 503-201-6710.