Everybody loves a great pizza competition. So when we were invited to the annual Slice of Columbus event in Columbus, Ohio, which brings some of the city’s best pizzerias together with a unified goal of raising money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we knew we had to check it out.
According to organizer Kris Mazzola, the one-day event in September began 19 years ago when a group of development board members from Nationwide Children’s Hospital sought out a fun way to raise money for the hospital, and turned to local pizzerias for inspiration. “Over the years, the event has grown from a couple hundred people in a tiny bar to being held at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, which can pack in 3,500 guests,” says Mazzola.
They definitely needed the extra room. When locals find out that they can eat all the pizza they want from 20 area pizzerias for a $10 entrance fee ($12 at the door), they sign up in droves, and bring their friends and family (kids under 10 are free). “Last year, we raised $75,000; this year, just over $81,000,” says Mazzola. “In total, over the 19 years, we’ve raised close to $1.5 million for the hospital.”
Go to Pizza TV.com to see our man-on-the-street footage; Patt Miller spinning dough for the crowd; and much more!
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