Twelve teams of culinary-minded kids and their families spent Saturday afternoon creating their version of the ultimate pizza at PIZZAPALOOZA, brought to you by beijingkids and Kro’s Nest Pizza.

Each team was challenged to come up with a creative combination to be judged by a panel of 5 expert pizza lovers. The reward: in addition to eternal glory, the winning combination is to be featured as the Pizza of the Month at Kro’s Nest for the month of May.

Judging the contest were: Kro Bauer and Marty Handley from Kro’s Nest; Hilton Beijing Executive Chef Christian Bruhns; and longtime Beijing foodies Xixi Cheng and Jim Boyce.

After a round of brainstorming, each team was given their requested toppings, sauce and cheese and got down to putting together their creations. Meanwhile, judges walked around rating the pizza-makers on creativity, color and cleanliness.

The voting was extremely close – after all the votes were tallied, every team was within reach of one another.

The First Place prize went to the Pizza Pirates (above) for their creation “Max & Molly’s Meatball-Mushroom Mania,” which featured meatballs, mushrooms, onions, olives and mozzarella cheese on an alfredo sauce base.

The Second Place prize went to Plants vs Zombies (above) for their creation “Brain Confetti”, which piled pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, olives, pineapple, broccoli and mozzarella cheese on an alfredo sauce base.

The Third Place prize went to A.B.C.M.Y (Squared) (above) for their creation “Bella Joy”, which included pepperoni, chicken, bacon, green peppers, pineapple, hearts of palm and mozzarella cheese on a tomato sauce base.

The Team Spirit Award went to the 3e Angry Birds with their pizza “All Apped Out,” which piled pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, olives, green peppers, red peppers and mozzarella cheese on a tomato sauce base.

The Most Creative Award went to the Smart Butterflies with their pizza “Messy with a Chance of Meatballs”, which featured pepperoni, meatballs, steak, mushrooms, tomatoes, hearts of palm and mozzarella on a tomato sauce base.

In addition to feasting out on their creations, families spent the afternoon watching Kro’s pizza masters send their dough flying  (and tossing some dough themselves), as well as enjoying Kro’s Nest chicken wings, onion rings and salads. and having their faces painted by expert painter Nina Griffee and friends.

For more pics from Pizzapalooza, see our online gallery.

Judged by Kro’s master pizza chef, this contest is your chance to show the world your recipe for the best pizza on the planet …and best of all, the winning creation will be put on Kro’s menu as the "Pizza of the Month" for May!

There will be prizes for all and the afternoon’s festivities include not only the contest, but also:
— You’ll eat your creation as part of a Kro’s Nest feast that also includes salad, wings & soda
— You’ll see Kro’s Nest experts in a breathtaking dough-tossing show
— You’ll try your hand at kneading your own pizza dough
— You’ll get your face painted by Nina Griffee
— You’ll participate in Kro’s coloring contest
— And more surprises! 

Date: Saturday, April 16, 10:30 AM to 2 PM Location: Kro’s Nest, 35 Xiaoyun Lu

Please note: doors open at 10.30 am, instructions for the contest will be given at 11:00 sharp, so don’t be late!

Advanced registration required.

Price: RMB 75/person (beijingkids club member) RMB 100/person (non-beijingkids club member). Free for kids 3 years old and under.

Pizza-making teams must have a minimum of 3 participants and can be a maximum of 6. You can book a team for yourself or we can pair you with another family to make a team. For more information,please contact us.

* Please note: Ayis and Grandparents are people too! If you would like them to accompany you to the event, they will need a ticket as well (and they’ll be fed and have a great time too!)

Space is limited to a maximum of 20 teams; advanced booking required. For reservations, please contact events@beijing-kids.com or call Cindy at 5820 5407, weekdays 10am-6pm.