Junior Chefs Will Reward Moms With Pizzas
Children Will Enjoy "Messy Sundaes" for Their Hard Work

   SAN DIEGO — Children from St. Vincent de Paul Village, in celebration of Mother’s Day and with the help of volunteers from Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza restaurants, will put their culinary craftsmanship to the test as they prepare pizzas for their mothers on Thursday, May 10, at 11 a.m. at the downtown shelter located at 1501 Imperial Avenue.

   As many as 50 children will assist Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza volunteers in preparing custom pizzas and join their mothers for lunch.

   The youngsters will participate in each step of the pizza-making process, including stretching the dough and adding the toppings, says St. Vincent’s Children’s Services Program Manager Erin Milligan.

   "The kids are involved in every aspect of the preparation," she says. "It gives them a real sense of accomplishment and they’re so proud to present their moms with the finished product."

   Milligan says the event goes a long way in restoring a sense of family and togetherness while offering the children an opportunity to give their moms a Mother’s Day gift.

   "Parents living at St. Vincent’s are very busy people," she says. "Between completing classes at community college, working and caring for their children, there isn’t much time to relax and this event is a great way for the kids to say thanks to their moms for all they do."

   The children will not walk away from the event without being awarded for their hard work. Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza will be dishing up its famous "Messy Sundaes" for the youngsters, says Milligan.

   "The kids love it – first they get to play with cheese and pizza sauce, then they get to dive into dessert," she says. "They go back to class with faces, and sometimes clothes, full of chocolate syrup and ice cream."

   The party, which this year celebrates its sixth anniversary, was the idea of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza owner Sami Ladeki who has been dedicated to assisting San Diego-based charitable organizations since the opening of his first restaurant – now a chain of 15 – in La Jolla in 1989. In addition to the annual pizza party, Sammy’s named Father Joe’s M.A.S.H. Village in Las Vegas as a beneficiary of its Nevada restaurant’s grand opening in 1997.

   For more information on the May 10 event, call (619) 525-1608.

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