The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has announced the eight chef finalists for the 2024 Real California Pizza Contest (RCPC). This contest, now in its sixth year, seeks out the best foodservice pizza recipes featuring Real California cow’s milk cheeses. The event offers a $28,500 prize pool, adding prestige to one of the nation’s top pizza competitions.
The finalists for the 2024 Real California Pizza Contest are:
In the Protein Category, the finalists are Eddie Stalewski from Mercurio’s in Pittsburgh, Pa., Jose Valverde from Zorba’s Pizza in Millbrae, Calif., Leith Leiser-Miller from Psychic Pie in Sebastopol, Calif., and Jay Falk from Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh, Pa.
In the Produce Category, the finalists are Michael Vakneen from Truly Pizza in Dana Point, Calif., Doug Dellaccio from Wayfarer Bread in La Jolla, Calif., Constantino Anezinos from Zorba’s Pizza in Millbrae, Calif., and Ray Cullison from Charlie’s Pizzeria in Kingman, Ariz.
On August 7th, these finalists will converge at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, California, to compete in a live bake-off. Each category winner will receive $7,500. This year introduces a new Three-Cheese Pizza competition, where all eight finalists will pair up to compete for an additional $7,500. Remaining finalists will earn $750 for their participation.
“Each year, we evolve the Real California Pizza Contest to match the creativity of the pizza community,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “The new categories, Protein and Produce, allow unlimited exploration with our California cow’s milk cheeses. We’re also excited about the three-cheese team competition, adding a bit of drama to the bake-off with competitors collaborating on this simple yet marketable pie.”
The bake-off will be judged by a panel of pizza experts including Tony Gemignani, chef, restaurateur, international pizza authority, and President of the World Pizza Champions; Glenn Cybulski, certified pizzaiolo and award-winning executive chef; and Bill Crawford, 2023 RCPC Grand Prize Winner and owner of Righteous Slice in Idaho. The judges selected the finalists from over 180 recipe entries from across the United States.
Further details on the bake-off, chef finalists, and CMAB’s foodservice partnership support are available at the Real California Pizza Contest website.
California is renowned for its consistent and sustainable dairy products used by chefs worldwide. As the nation’s largest dairy state, California boasts award-winning cheesemakers and dairy processors who drive dining innovation. This is powered by quality milk from California dairy farm families committed to a sustainable future.