Don Corleone’s Brick Oven Pizzeria will hold a Pros vs. Joes Pizza Challenge Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m., at the restaurant, in Sterling.
Waleed Zarou, owner of Don Corleone’s Brick Oven Pizzeria, is looking for average men, women and children to compete against three celebrity guests including World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Jimmy Lange, who was featured on NBC’s reality television show The Contender, Washington Redskins football player Kedric Golston and professional eater Ian Hickman, who was featured on MTV’s True Life: I’m a Competitive Eater.
"I’m hoping a lot of people will come out and challenge these guys," Zarou said.
Tickets will be sold at the door for $5, and each ticket includes a slice of pizza and chance to compete against the professionals.
Raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to win more than $1,000 in cash and prizes, including two memberships to Gold’s Gym and Washington Redskins tickets and parking passes.
ALL PROCEEDS from the event will go to East Africa Missions, something Zarou and his family have been involved with for almost a decade.
Zarou leads mission trips to East Africa through his church, Calvary Temple Church in Sterling.
While he is in Africa, he helps men and women with a number of tasks, including economic development.
"The money goes so far there," he said.
Zarou recalled one his most memorable trips to Kenya, when he taught women there to make pizza, using what little they had to make the dough and cook the pizza.
"I taught them how to make it so they could sell it in bakeries and shops, maybe open a café," he said.
This is not the first time Zarou has raised money for East Africa Missions. He has held similar fund-raisers over the years, for the same cause.
"I’ve always tried to use my business in creative ways," he said.
Zarou will return to Kenya in May.