You can’t find this pizza on DoorDash. You won’t see it advertised with neon signs. But when you spot the white and blue bus in the Pocatello AutoZone parking lot on Yellowstone Avenue, you’ve stumbled onto something special — handcrafted Neapolitan-New York hybrid pizzas made with live yeast, geothermal spring water and zero compromises.

What started as a dream for partners in life and business, Gibril Omar and Jessica Steele, has finally become a reality as the pair prepare for the official first day of operating Blubird Pizzeria, a mobile pizza joint positioned inside a 1989 Blue Bird bus turned restaurant.

“Stoked, we’re just so humbly stoked to show people in Pocatello what good food is supposed to taste like,” Steele told the Idaho State Journal during an interview from the custom wood plank benches installed in the waiting area inside the front of the bus just behind the driver’s seat.

“We take the quality of food very seriously and are very conscientious about what we put into our own bodies, and so we would like to share that experience with our community — with our loved ones, friends and family,” Omar added.

Steele and Omar cooked up the pizzeria idea during a summer pizza party with friends and their business partners, Dr. Richard Wathne and his wife, Kelly, in Omar and Steele’s backyard. Omar has been cooking pizzas for more than two decades.

“We would also cook pizzas for our families and whatnot with what we call our little camping oven, which is just a minor version of the two big ovens,” Steele said, pointing to the middle of the bus where two Gen 2 Gozney Dome XL ovens are situated. The restaurant-grade ovens feature a hybrid fuel system offering the ability to cook with wood, charcoal or propane and are large enough to fire up three pizzas at once.

Wrestling with the idea to launch their own pizza business for months, conversation ultimately turned to action this past August.

“We didn’t want a brick-and-mortar spot due to the high cost of rent and overhead, so we thought about a food trailer, but that means you need a separate vehicle to pull it,” Omar said. “Then we thought of a food truck, but that’s a smaller space, so we decided to start checking out a full-size school bus.”

“And I think I got home from work one day, and Gib said, ‘I bought a bus,’ and the vision started to morph from there,” Steele added.

The ovens are the nucleus of Blubird Pizzeria, but the converted bus is chock-full of equipment and amenities to sustain the venture’s success. The bus features a 100-gallon water tank and four 100-pound propane tanks to power both ovens and two propane-fueled refrigerators.

Aside from hiring professionals to install all the electric wiring, water lines and oven vents, Omar put hundreds of hours into renovating the bus into the portable pizza place.

The last time there were seats in the old 72-passenger Blue Bird school bus, Omar and about a dozen friends were heading up to Scout Mountain Campground for one final joyride.

The renovation began with a heavy deep clean, then a fresh interior paint job and the installation of the wood bench waiting area and incandescent lighting — all of which were necessary to establish the intimate vibe Omar and Steele were shooting for.

The inside of the bus also features the classic Italian pizzeria white and black checkered flooring.

Getting the bus ready for business was a crucial first step, but the most important part of any restaurant is the food itself, and the pride of Blubird Pizzeria is a menu handcrafted with love, care and a dedication to only the finest ingredients. Menu development was as meticulous as renovating the bus itself.

Patrons can enjoy garlic knots and an antipasto featuring a blend of warm-spiced olives served with flatbread. The Caesar salad — made with eggs from a local Blackfoot farm — features a from-scratch dressing free of the canola and soybean oils found in most store-bought versions.

Fresh-made rolls and bread, including a gluten-free buckwheat option, serve as the base for sandwiches. And then, of course, there are the pizzas.

Options include margherita, mushroom and prosciutto, a spicy devil with salami, and a traditional Italian pie topped with marinara and slivered garlic. There will definitely be a create-your-own option, too, allowing customers to customize their orders.

The couple uses uncured meats free of preservatives, sources flour from Central Milling in Logan, Utah, and plans to offer an Italian sausage made from ground elk as well as organic pork from Maddox Family Farms in Malad.

“We consciously choose to avoid processed additives like synthetic iodized salt, artificially produced enzymes in cheese, seed oils, GMOs, harmful chemicals, dyes, preservatives and irradiated spices,” Omar said.

The commitment to excellence extends to every ingredient. The couple uses premium Grande cheese and live yeast, which Omar said sets them apart. Geothermal spring water sourced from what Omar described as a secret supplier on the Idaho-Nevada border — high in pH and silica content — makes its way into the dough.

“It’s a lot more than just going somewhere and picking up some food and not asking questions,” Omar said. “We want to provoke thought about what you’re eating and how it makes you feel.”

The journey from concept to reality has been a wild ride, one you might imagine was as bumpy as a seatbelt-less bus trek. Omar worked on the bus during the day before heading to his evening shifts at The Yellowstone. Steele put in similar hours while working at Off the Rails Brewing.

Both quit their jobs this week.

“There was never a moment where I thought about throwing in the towel,” Omar said. “Obviously I thought about it, but there’s no turning back. That’s what kept me going.”

The total investment involved well over 1,000 hours of labor. But all that hard work and a significant monetary stake represents not just a financial commitment but a philosophical one. Omar and Steele aren’t just selling pizza. They’re selling an experience, a provocation to think differently about food.

“Pizza is one of those special items you can carry home, eat the next day or even eat cold,” Steele said. “But a lot of takeout food is terrible when you get it home. It’s not meant to be picked up and taken. We’re creating something that travels well but doesn’t compromise on quality.”

The couple plans to eventually offer espresso and coffee service, but for now they’re focused on perfecting their core menu. They’ve already booked private events — weddings, rehearsal dinners and a dance competition in Blackfoot — but are eager to offer more catering opportunities.

Those interested in booking the bus or checking the latest menu can follow Blubird Pizzeria on Facebook and Instagram. The couple said events are filling up fast.

“We’re excited to offer private events,” Omar said. “But we also just want to be out there, visible, sharing this with the community.”

Standing inside the converted bus — soft lights glowing warm against the checkered floor, the smell of fresh dough mingling with wood and propane — it’s easy to envision what inspired two people to transform a 72-passenger school bus into a pizzeria.

It’s the same concept that’s been baked into great food and community for millennia — the belief that what we eat matters, that quality is worth pursuing, that sustenance is better when shared with the people you love and that sometimes the best things come not from the biggest kitchens but from the smallest spaces with the biggest hearts.

Or in this case, from a white and blue bus parked in a parking lot at 780 Yellowstone Ave. where live yeast, geothermal water and a dream finally found a home. You can find them open for business Wednesday through Sunday from noon-8 p.m.