FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Much Ado About Pizza Makes National Waves: Zabrowski’s Bring Home Two Podium Finishes
Pleasanton husband-and-wife pizza makers earn third-place honors in separate divisions at the national California Pizza Challenge
PLEASANTON, Calif. — September 14, 2026 — Pleasanton’s Much Ado About Pizza is making national waves, with owners Kira and Mark Zabrowski each earning a third-place finish at the California Pizza Challenge, held during the California Restaurant Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit in Anaheim, California, August 23–25, 2026.
Competing among some of the nation’s and world’s best pizza makers, the Zabrowskis represented Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley in two separate divisions of the national competition—and both came home with a place on the podium.
Kira Zabrowski earned 3rd place in the Real California 3 Cheese Challenge with Viola’s Veggie, a vegetarian pizza inspired by Shakespeare’s Viola and featured on the Much Ado About Pizza menu. The challenge required competitors to use exactly three California cheeses, highlighting the quality and versatility of California dairy products.
Mark Zabrowski earned 3rd place in the Non-Traditional Challenge with a Mediterranean-inspired pizza, showcasing a creative combination of flavors that moves beyond conventional pizza toppings while demonstrating the technical skill and imagination required at the highest levels of pizza competition.
“We are incredibly proud to have represented Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley on this stage,” said Kira Zabrowski, co-owner of Much Ado About Pizza. “To compete alongside some of the best pizza makers in the nation and around the world—and to both come home with third-place finishes—is an incredible honor. We love what we do, and it means so much to share that passion with our community.”
The Zabrowski's are proud members of the United States Pizza Team (USPT), a group of elite pizza professionals who compete nationally and internationally. Their participation in the California Pizza Challenge reflects their ongoing dedication to the craft, continued learning, and representing their hometown within the broader pizza industry.
“Being part of the US Pizza Team and competing in a national competition of this caliber is something we never take for granted,” said Mark Zabrowski. “We were honored to compete among such talented pizza makers and proud to bring these results home to Pleasanton.”
The Zabrowski's latest podium finishes add to a growing record of recognition for Much Ado About Pizza. Their work has been featured in PMQ Pizza Magazine, and both Kira and Mark have achieved top placements in additional national and international pizza competitions. Their competition journey reflects the same creativity, craftsmanship, and commitment to quality that they bring to their family-run pizzeria in Pleasanton.
For the Zabrowski’s, the competition is an extension of the same creativity and care they bring to their pizzeria, where Shakespearean inspiration and house-made, sourdough-style pizza come together in a distinctly Pleasanton experience.
About Much Ado About Pizza
Much Ado About Pizza is a woman-owned, family-run, Shakespeare-themed, carry-out pizzeria in Pleasanton, California, founded by Kira and Mark Zabrowski. Known for its house-made sourdough-style pizza, premium ingredients, and playful Shakespearean menu, the pizzeria combines a love of theatre with a passion for exceptional pizza. Much Ado About Pizza has earned recognition from Yelp, Diablo Magazine, SFGATE, and national pizza-industry organizations.
Pizza
Pleasanton, California
Website: muchadoaboutpizzaca.com
Phone: 925-750-7527
