Grimaldi’s coal-fired, brick-oven pizza-making tradition is rooted under the shade of New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge, and developed over a span of 100 years.
CEO Joseph M. Ciolli grew up in New York with close ties to the Grimaldi family, and eventually took over the brand in the early 2000s after graduating from ASU’s school of business. Since then, the operational headquarters has moved to Scottsdale, while successfully retaining the brand’s Italian spirit and growing to more than 10 states and internationally, with a recent opening in Dubai.
Spending his college years in the Valley, Ciolli came to love Arizona and has been a Paradise Valley resident for 22 years.
He said Grimaldi’s New York City roots remain intact as the company looks to the future with a new winter menu and plans to hit 2026 running, providing service on New Year’s Day when many restaurants are closed.
Learn more here about Ciolli as well as his love for pizza and Paradise Valley.
What made you decide on ASU for college?
I grew up in New York. There was a program in high school where students visited colleges and cities outside of New York for the summer. Arizona State was one of the stops, and after that, I fell in love with the state. I saw my future there and decided to attend ASU and major in business when I was 18.
What did you do after graduation?
After I graduated from ASU in 1992, I bought a bar/restaurant in Tempe called Minder Binders and a bar/restaurant in Tucson called Bum Steer. After, I moved back to New York.
Then later you decided to move back to Arizona. Why did you make Paradise Valley your home?
I moved to Paradise Valley from New York City in 2003 with my wife, Ivy. I always wanted to come back here after my time at ASU and expand Grimaldi’s out west. In the same year, we opened Arizona’s first Grimaldi’s at the Old Town Scottsdale location. I love Paradise Valley because it is close to all of Phoenix and Scottsdale’s best restaurants, resorts and entertainment venues, and it’s also a short drive to Sky Harbor Airport. The community here has a rural, small-town feel yet is right in the heart of everything in the Valley, not to mention the beautiful views of Camelback Mountain.
Why do you think Grimaldi’s has been so successful?
We really pay attention to three things: people, product and service. We keep the tradition of the coal brick-oven pizzas that my dad’s good friend, Patsy Grimaldi, who was like an uncle to me, kept alive. Consistency and community are everything, and that’s how we’ve been able to grow over 45 restaurants nationwide, including six in Arizona.
And you’ve gone global?
In the past few years, we opened the Grimaldi’s brand to franchising with the goal of expanding across the US and the world. Our first international franchisee, Tablez Food Company, opened its first Grimaldi’s location in Abu Dhabi in 2023, the first in a multi-unit franchising deal.
As we move into 2026, what’s in store for Grimaldi’s in the coming year?
Building on the success of the Abu Dhabi location, Tablez opened its second Grimaldi’s in Dubai in early November and looks to add more locations in the United Arab Emirates in the future.
Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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