Pizza Art

We started an art contest in the mid-1980s and have continued the tradition every few years or so since then. We now have over 300 pieces of Zachary’s pizza art from the past three decades! The winning artwork decorates the walls in all five of our restaurants. We love the art and the artists and are excited and honored to be able to share some of the art on our website!

A retro-style illustration of a woman with a shocked expression, hands on cheeks. Text reads, AARGGHHHH you didnt order Zacharys?! in bold, varying fonts.

Cindy Chan

“.. we love Zachary’s Pizza; it’s the best, combined with the high energy of the staff and how everyone seems to be having a great time, it’s like a party that never stops.” – Cindy Chan

A painting of a black and white dog sitting on a pink armchair, holding a slice of pizza in its mouth. The background is green with the text: Harrys a lucky dog he gets Zacharys!.

Lisa Hayle

2005

“I heard about Zachary’s Pizza through friends who also mentioned the awesome annual poster contest, which they had won in the past with an entry featuring their two adorable poodles. Soon after, I tasted the deep-dish yumminess for the first time…. I first saw Harry in 2002, while working briefly at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland. It was love at first sight.” – Lisa Hayle

A painting of a smiling family enjoying a pizza from Zacharys Chicago Pizza. The mother holds a pizza, while the father and two children, a boy and a girl, look up excitedly. A Zacharys Certified Quality sign is in the background.

Certified Quality Family

1990’s

A. Cavenecia

A handwritten note on lined paper reads: Dear Zachary, My heart beats for your Chicago style pizza. I wish I could be with you every day. Would you like to go out with me? There are checkboxes for Yes and No. Its signed love, Maia.

Maia VuMinnich, 9 years old

2011

Cartoon image of Sir Zachary wearing a horned helmet, holding a sword against a green dragon breathing pizza flames. The background shows a purple hill and a castle. Text reads Sir Zachary conquers the Pizza Dragon.

Leo Gould, 11 years old

2009

Illustration of a cartoon character holding a slice of pepperoni pizza. The background is blue, with the text ENJOY at the top and ZACHARYS PIZZA at the bottom in stylized letters. The character appears joyful and anticipatory.

Pete Docter
I like to draw and paint yet don’t do it often enough. The allure of winning free pizza was strong and I made a few posters.
Influences: 1950’s poster design, especially Paul Rand, Cassandre, and Raymond Savignac. Also children’s book illustrator Roy McKee (he illustrated the Dr. Seuss books “Ten Apples Up on Top” and “Snow”).
My whole family loves Zachary’s Pizza, though we’re divided over which is best: stuffed pesto mushroom or stuffed pepperoni. Actually thin crust sausage onion is pretty good too. When both of our kids were born, we smuggled Zachary’s into the maternity ward.

A vintage-style poster features a girl in a red dress eating pizza. Three cats eagerly watch her. The text reads Pizza de la Zacharys Délicieux and Mackenzie.

Delicieux

2005

Mackenzie Sowers

A colorful painting depicts cartoonish figures eating pizza at a table. One figure has green skin and another wears sunglasses. A large pizza with various toppings is shared, and the setting appears to be a lively pizza shop.

M. Yamagata

1995

Illustration of a pepperoni pizza in a box with a red heart, set against a decorative red background. The text reads, Make Pizza Not War, in bold black and red letters.

Ian Ransley

2015

Berkeley-born and raised designer Ian Ransley loves Zachary’s Pizza!! Who in Berkeley doesn’t? But Ian has found a way to graphically express his admiration for the famous deep-dish, Chicago-style pies — not once, but a dozen times.

Ian grew up in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood (near the Solano Zachary’s). His mom still lives in the neighborhood house he grew up. Ian did spend some time away from his beloved Berkeley getting a design degree from UC Davis. In the years since he has designed for Chevron, HP, Cisco and of course, Zachary’s! For the past decade Ian has designed the stadium graphics for the Super Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and currently for the NHL Winter Classic in Foxboro.
Even though Ian has designed the stadium graphics for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos he is known as the guy who won the Zachary’s Pizza poster contest. Ian is a single Dad with two Zachary’s-loving boys, Dylan and Fabien.

SOLD in our 2018 Art Sale and Fundraiser!

Illustrated image of four circular pizza diagrams against an orange gradient background, each showing a different portion of a pizza missing. Text reads, Zacharys Chicago Pizza. The progression suggests the stages of eating a pizza.

Ryan Pera

2017

Besides my everyday fascination with the universe, galaxy, the solar system, the moon, and the sun, my piece, titled “Phases of Pizza”, was inspired from watching my nephew put in work, like a real artist, when push comes to shove, with two days to work before the deadline of this contest. While waiting to be seated at the College Ave location, my nephew eagerly asked me if I had a piece of paper and a pen. I did, since I never leave home without my small sketchbook and pen. His ideas were flowing. Everyone loves pizza, I mean everyone… but to witness a kid, at the age of eight, not wanting to finish his pizza, only because he wanted to win his first art contest (with the prize of more pizza and having his artwork hang on the walls), was honestly my true inspiration through making this piece.

Editor’s note: Ryan’s nephew, Jalen, was also one of our winners! See our blog about Ryan and Jalen for more information.

Colorful circles with different patterns are arranged in a grid. Each circle has a unique design, including dots and lines, on a white background filled with the repeated text Zacharys in black.

Katie Jang

2011

A vibrant abstract painting depicting a pizza restaurant with tables, chairs, and pizzas. Signs include Open, Pizza Specials, and We Make It U You Yum. The artwork uses bold yellow, red, and blue colors, with playful geometric shapes.

Ernst

1990’s

Artist Unknown

A mermaid with flowing blond hair reaches up toward a floating slice of pizza, with the words Hooked on Zacharys? above. She has a shimmering blue tail and is set against a dark, underwater background.

Katia Novak

2011

I grew up at Zachary’s Pizza. It was the first solid food I ever had as a baby, and it is an unspoken tradition in my family to go at least once a month. Since Zachary’s always had a special place in my heart, I thought I’d endear myself in return by contributing some of what I’m best at—art. I drew inspiration for my poster from my love of the sea and my childhood obsession with mermaids and magical things. I still respect my painting for what it taught me in terms of shadow and scale, but since its creation I’ve evolved. I’d like to showcase my new skills in another painting for Zach’s sometime in the near future.

See more of Katia’s talents here: https://katianovak.tumblr.com/

Mary Youm

2011

Illustration of a red bridge and hills on a blue sky background. A bold red circle surrounds Zacharys Chicago Pizza in the center, with the phrase I left my heart at written above in cursive.

Kirstin Ineich

2012

I always like looking at the different posters created by Zachary’s patrons. When the opportunity came to create my own, I had just come back from San Francisco, and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my piece. The Zachary’s logo integrates well with the Golden Gate Bridge, so, I chose to paint the iconic bridge. When I think of San Francisco, I always think of Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” playing after a Giants’ home-game win at AT&T Park and the way it makes me feel. And, every time you eat at Zachary’s, you get the same feeling. So, I tied the whole thing together with the tagline “I left my heart at Zachary’s.”

Poster for Zacharys: The Rise of the Dough! features a pizza slice above a city skyline with text: Wind-Altering!, Mouth-Watering!, Conquering the World! A person holds a Zacharys pizza box at the bottom.

Ian Ransley

2009

Ian Ransley is a single father of two Zachary’s-loving boys. Ian is a Berkeley native and a professional graphic designer. He splits his time designing Zachary’s posters and designing for professional sports teams and events including the NHL Winter Classic and the NFL Super Bowl among many other events. He is a dual-citizen of the U.S. And Great Britain. Growing up in a British home he never had pizza so Ian can’t get enough of it now. Ian annoys his two sons using them time and again in many of his art projects.

A colorful illustration featuring red heart-shaped slices of pizza against a purple background. Theres a white text box in the lower right with the words Zacharys Pizza in bold black letters.

Wesley Jensen

2009

Colorful artwork of a person in bed, dreaming of a large pepperoni pizza. Text reads Dreaming of Zacharys Pizza. The room is filled with stars, a dresser with fruit, and a window showing a crescent moon.

Lauren Ari

2009

“Lauren’s art roars out of the deepest part of her psyche and arrives with great tenderness into the world… Fiercely honest, playful, erotic and provocative, she speaks directly to what is still unfettered in all of us, our wild, free, animal selves.” – Alison Luterman, poet

When I’m lucky -when I trust the processes- I experience a flow and receive what feels like a gift. Although my work is personal, I believe it taps into the universal, and I am looking to connect with others and myself more deeply. These are words I associate with my work: intuitive, awake, unstuffed, humorous, rhythmic, disturbing, engrossing, sexual, figurative, colorful, unique and complex. It is my hope that you will enjoy experiencing the work as much as I enjoy making it. – Lauren Ari

laurenari.com

A whimsical painting of a blue anthropomorphic cat wearing a pink apron, holding a pizza, and standing near an oven. A purple cat and a green cat watch. A retro clock and the word Purrrfecto!!! are on the wall.

Marko Yamagata

2015

Childrens drawing of two dolphins jumping from the water, each with a girl in a rainbow swimsuit on their back. A red pizza slice sun is in the sky above Zacharys Chicago Pizza Inc. Blue sky and water background.

Elena S, age 9

2012

My name is Elena and I am currently 10 years old. I was born in Tokyo, Japan, but moved to America when I was 4. I now live in San Ramon, and am about to graduate from Coyote Creek Elementary School.

Martial arts, drawing, and painting are my favorite hobbies. I also like singing and music and will keep continuing it until I am too busy. In martial arts ( karate),I am a brown white stripe belt. If I have any free time I would love to read, draw, or play video games (until my parents stop me).

I entered the Zachary’s art contest in 2008 and again in 2010 because I love drawing, painting and eating Zachary’s pizza. I was so happy when my school received the $1,500 for the award in 2008. That money was spent on the art program at Coyote Creek, and helped make the art very exciting all through out Coyote Creek.

Thank You Zachary’s!