Pizza Wars are ON!

The Zonta Club of the Joliet Area is on the hunt for the Best Pizza in the Joliet Area – and the contest is on Pi Day, March 14, 2026, from 5- 9 p.m. at St. Joseph Park at 700 Theodore Street in Crest Hill. We need your help to judge from the local vendors who have chosen to take up this challenge.

Raffles will be drawn at 8:00 p.m. and winners posted shortly after. Proceeds will fund small grants to local agencies that support Zonta's mission to build a better world for women and girls, as well as scholarships for young women in leadership.

Event Chair Carla Montagano-Liburdi says, “Honoring math, and Pi…helps us connect and share our mission and invite people into our vision – Zonta expands opportunities for women and girls through our international education programs, and by providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) scholarships for young women pursuing college degrees.”

This event is notably less formal than previous events hosted by the club. Dress is anything that makes you happy, come for an hour – or stay for the whole thing. This “over 21” event encourages you to walk around, look at the raffles, discuss the pros and cons of the pizza you try, enjoy ice cold beverages – a fun and casual atmosphere where you aren’t held to a certain program or schedule. This is a great “unscheduled” event – you can just enjoy good pizza by some impressive local vendors!

And you can vote on several categories: for Best Sauce, Best Crust, and Best Overall Pizza. Our local pizza joints will be coming to the event ready to claim one or more crowns!

“When we gather, we’re not just sharing pizza – we’re building brighter futures,” says Club President Mary Baudino. “This year our club will be supporting Stepping Stones, a local organization that provides substance use disorder services - more specifically, our partnership is focused on the opening of their Recovery Home, the first in Will County to exclusively serve women and their children with housing during their recovery journey.”  

To purchase tickets, at $50 each, go to our website at www.jolietzonta.org and click on the button that says “Pizza Wars.”

Sponsorships are still available! Go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pizza-wars-sponsorship to learn more about the options available.