The Pizza Cupcake After Shark Tank: We Caught Up With The Founders

As we mentioned before, seasoned "Shark Tank" pros will recognize that The Pizza Cupcake, Jimenez specifically, was extremely prepared to be on the show — and not just because she knew all the ins and outs of her company, as any good entrepreneur would. "I've always been a student of "Shark Tank,"' Jimenez said. "And it was always my dream for us to go on the show." This really shone through in the episode when Jimenez's studying paid off, and her knowledge of not only her business but of past similar "Shark Tank" deals Lori has made showed how Jimenez knew The Pizza Cupcake's worth and was able to provide examples of it.

"I felt like a lot of emerging brands and new food concepts were really going on to 'Shark Tank' and pitching their concepts to the Sharks," Jimenez added. "We also needed funding, so I thought, 'Oh this could be a really great opportunity for us to get in front of them and to also get exposure, and to see if we could really prove out the concept.'" But the business model that you saw Meggiato and Jimenez pitch wasn't actually the one the company had been using since they came up with the concept in 2018.

Jimenez was clearly prepared to pitch her and her husband's "first baby" to the sharks. But no matter how ready you are, you probably can't anticipate exactly what it's going to be like up there in front of the sharks, sharing your passion with them and hoping they see something in you and the business. "For me it was truly one of the most challenging and nerve-racking experiences I've ever had, to be honest," Jimenez shared. "It's also super exciting and exhilarating at the same time. I mean, it's just really hard to explain all the emotions that you're feeling happen."

For aspiring entrepreneurs and people looking to make their own pitch in front of the sharks one day, Jimenez got some top-tier advice from one of the producers. The tip is simple yet effective, and it's to focus on your breath and breathe deeply. The producer said to Jimenez and Meggiato, "You have nothing to be nervous about. You're talking about your business that you know in and out," Jimenez recalled. The breathing tip is to inhale for three seconds, and then as you exhale, roll your shoulders back three times — then repeat three times. The breathing tip helped, and with that boost of confidence, Jimenez said to us, "I knew that we were gonna get a deal. I just felt it."

Dreams do come true in the Shark Tank. Not only was The Pizza Cupcake able to negotiate successfully with the sharks and meet them in the middle, but Jimenez was able to secure her "dream shark" for the company in Lori Greiner. Greiner was the duo's dream Shark for a lot of reasons. "I think at the time of when we pitched we really needed the capital to help grow the business," Jimenez said. "We had all of our cards laid out, and I think that's what Lori saw and she saw how we worked really hard and were able to pivot."

Greiner has praised The Pizza Cupcake a lot since striking up the deal with the brand, even giving The Pizza Cupcake its flowers on "Ellen" when she appeared as a guest on the talk show. She was Jimenez's dream shark because, "I think because of her track record of, you know, other businesses that she worked with, particularly in food and beverage she had other companies in her portfolio, and we saw the success and relationships that she had — and also getting them retail distribution." Aside from being one of the best in the business, period, Jimenez also appreciates how Greiner supports female entrepreneurs. "It was really important for us to have someone like her on our team and how she does support women entrepreneurs, as well as male entrepreneurs."

So, you've ordered them online and had them shipped to your doorstep, or you've gone in person and got your hands on some pizza cupcakes. Now what? Jimenez gave us her insider tips and tricks for making the most of your pizza cupcakes, and what you do with them all depends on the type of pizza lover you are. You can make them in a traditional oven, a toaster oven, or (we love this) even an air fryer (those things just do everything, don't they?). If you want your crust more on the crunchy side, Jimenez recommends leaving the box in the freezer while your device preheats and then cooking the pizza cupcakes "straight from frozen," meaning you don't leave them out to thaw.

However, if you're like us and want that gooey, satisfying cheese pull and a crust that has some give to it, she recommends leaving the box out on the counter to thaw a bit while you're preheating your oven or oven-adjacent device. And if you're wondering more about what goes into pizza cupcakes, Jimenez has the answers, "All of our flour is imported from Italy. We use no artificial preservatives, so it's absolutely all clean ingredients. We also use real mozzarella cheese that we do source locally here in the U.S." And the tomato sauce? "We include Italian tomatoes that we import from Italy." What a win from a family-run business making big moves in the industry.