A pair of enterprising fine-dining veterans have ignited a fire under the nascent Chelsea food scene.

“The response of the community has been overwhelming,” beamed Edson Coimbra, who teamed with chef Marvin Posada to open Ciao! Pizza & Pasta in September in the imposing shadow of the Tobin Bridge.

A delicious waft of hardwood smoke now lends a fragrant aroma to a neighborhood long defined by that stark industrial behemoth above it.

The stars at tiny Ciao! are creative, full-flavored handmade pastas and Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizzas that are crisped to perfection in just 90 seconds in an intensely hot, 850-degree wood-fired oven.

“It’s a small community place that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but has some of the best food in Boston right now,” boasted North Shore food blogger Richard Auffrey (passionatefoodie.blogspot.com), an early Ciao! champion who joined the Boston Herald on our first visit last month.

The best way to judge a pizza maker is by its most basic pie. Posada’s flagship margherita is outstanding: simple flavors of San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil on crisp house dough accented by the intoxicating whiff of smoky hardwood fire.

Meat lovers will savor the prosciutto di Parma pizza with burrata and cherry tomatoes; the prosciutto cotto with rosemary ham and maple-glazed figs; or the salsiccia pie with homemade fennel sausage and cherry peppers.

We also enjoyed the funghi pizza with wood-roasted mushrooms, homemade ricotta, arugula and truffle oil; and the breakfast-y uovo with roasted onions and potatoes, smoked bacon, mozzarella and soft-baked egg. Satisfy your sweet tooth with Posada’s Nutella pizza (strawberries, banana, mascarpone and mint).

For pasta, try the bell-shaped campanelle with spicy chorizo bolognese; mushroom fettuccine with black truffle butter; tomato-infused creste di gallo in aglio olio; or thyme-and-parsley infused gnocchetti with red wine-braised short rib.

Ciao! received its beer and wine license last week and will soon start serving a small selection of Italian wine and local beer, including some from Chelsea neighbor Mystic Brewery — where taproom visitors use their mobile devices to order Ciao! pizzas.

Rising star Posada arrived in Boston from El Salvador in 1999 and began washing dishes for chef-owner Jamie Mammano at South End landmark Mistral in 2000. By 2009, he was Mammano’s executive chef at L’Andana in Burlington, where he met front-of-the-house veteran Coimbra and began hatching plans for his own fresh pasta and pizza eatery.

Coimbra had moved to Chelsea from Brazil in 1995 and saw Posada’s concept as an opportunity to bring fresh new cuisine to his adopted hometown — but only after hours spent driving around the city convincing his partner that the time was now for Chelsea.

“Marvin and I come from a very strong culinary background,” Coimbra said. “We wanted to bring that quality, fresh food, wood-fired cooking to a neighborhood that doesn’t have it. It was an opportunity to build a community. An opportunity to help my hometown. I said to Marvin, ‘This is the city for you, brother.’”

Chelsea is embracing Posada’s food and returning the brotherly love.

“Something amazing is happening here,” Posada said. “The community is connecting with each other through our food.”

Ciao! Pizza & Pasta, 59 Williams St., Chelsea, 617-286-9346, ciaopizzaandpasta.com

Ciao! Pizza & Pasta’s Basic Aglio Olio Pasta

12 oz. fresh pasta

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

3 T. parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Boil pasta in salted water 2 to 3 minutes or to desired tenderness. Drain pasta, reserving starchy salted water. Saute garlic gently in oil over medium heat until tender and lightly colored. Add 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water, stir, and then toss in cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 2.

Ciao! Pizza & Pasta’s Homemade Ricotta Cheese

1 gallon whole local farm milk

1/2 t. liquid rennet

1/2 t. kosher or sea salt

Olive oil and salt to taste

Pour milk into a stainless steel pot and slowly bring to room temperature, 70 to 75 degrees, over very low heat. Turn off the heat. Add rennet and salt. Let sit about 15 minutes until milk starts to coagulate. Cut into cubes with a long knife. Turn heat back on very low and stir extremely gently once every few minutes. Bring thickening mixture to 120 degrees over about 45 minutes. Let cool. Strain through cheese cloth. Tie solids into a ball and let hang to drip dry about 3 hours. When dry, season gently with olive oil and salt. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to several weeks. Makes about 1A pounds of cheese.