Kira and Mark Zabrowski, PMQ’s October 2026 cover stars, captured the $15,000 grand prize in fifth annual Great Pizza Give Back contest from Hillshire Farm Brand, thanks to their support for local hunger-relief organizations and other community causes.
The Zabrowskis own Much Ado About Pizza in Pleasanton, California. They’re both former school teachers who were organizing massive charity drives long before they moved into the pizza business.
The couple opened the family-run Much Ado About Pizza in 2022. Before that, however, the Zabrowskis volunteered at local food banks, donated meals and helped neighbors in need.
Click here to read PMQ’s October 2026 cover story on Much Ado About Pizza.
Today, the pizzeria raises about $2,000 annually through its two Shakespeare Shares fundraisers and donates roughly 50 pizzas each year to local organizations, including CityServe of the Tri-Valley, Goodness Village and Open Heart Kitchen. Much Ado About Pizza also supports local middle and high school theater and music programs and other community causes through pizza donations, discounts and fundraising efforts.
Much Ado About Pizza is known for its Shakespeare-inspired carry-out experience and naturally fermented sourdough pizzas. The restaurant was named to Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. two years in a row and Kira Zabrowski is a member of PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team.
“As former teachers, we know how much food insecurity can affect children and families,” said Kira Zabrowski. “That experience has shaped the organizations we choose to support. For us, giving back means helping make sure people in our community have access to the food and support they need.”
FoodService Hillshire Farm Brand Director Bruce Engelmann said Much Ado sets “a great example of the impact independent pizzerias can have in their communities. The same commitment to serving others that shaped Kira and Mark’s careers as teachers is evident in the way they run their business and support organizations addressing hunger. That’s exactly the kind of community service the Great Pizza Give Back was created to recognize.”
“As former teachers, we know how much food insecurity can affect children and families,” said Kira Zabrowski. “That experience has shaped the organizations we choose to support. For us, giving back means helping make sure people in our community have access to the food and support they need.”
Along with the $15,000 grand prize awarded in the Great Pizza Give Back contest, 10 additional winners received $2,000 each. Full profiles of the 2026 winners are available on the Great Pizza Give Back website, where operators can also sign up for updates about the 2027 contest.
