Caliente Pizza, Steelers Player, Make-A-Wish Team To Aid Ailing Kids

PITTSBURGH, PA — It's an unusual alliance, but an admirable one. Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania & West Virginia have teamed to aid an ailing 8-year-old girl and other children in precarious medical conditions.

The Kora Strong Pizza, which officially debuted Wednesday on World Pizza Makers Day, is a tribute to Make-A-Wish recipient Kora Houtz of Butler. She suffers from cystinosis, a rare genetic disease. The pizza is named after a book her mother wrote inspired by her titled "I Am Kora Strong."

Kora, who received her wish to swim with dolphins in Florida last summer, recently visited Caliente's Aspinwall location to create the pizza named in her honor alongside Ogunjobi.

The Kora Strong Pizza - sold as an extra large for $24- will be available for purchase at all seven main Caliente locations from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. As part of Caliente’s charitable partnership with Make-A-Wish, the chain will guarantee the funding of two children’s wishes in the amount of $10,000, by donating $10 from every pizza sold to the foundation.

Caliente will also be promoting Kora’s book and selling it in-store at all of its locations.

“It’s not every day that a kid gets to meet a professional football player, let alone create a custom-made pizza with them, and we’re thrilled to have been able to provide that opportunity for Kora, and to fund the wishes of other children in the area as well,” Caliente owner Nick Bogacz said.

The Kara Strong Pizza sounds delectable, consisting of a Brooklyn-style thin crust pie with a garlic butter base, spinach,cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted chicken and mozzarella, provolone and feta cheeses. Caliente hopes to sell many of them before the end of the year.

“Our local Make-A-Wish chapter does incredible work for kids and families in the region, and we’re honored to be able to work with them on this pizza launch, alongside Larry Ogunjobi, to share Kora’s story and promote an important cause,” Bogacz said.