California Pizza Festival

California Pizza Festival hosts its inaugural Los Angeles event at Los Angeles Center Studios. The unlimited pizza-sampling festival features 30 pizzerias from California, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia, as well as world-renowned pizza chefs from Naples, Italy. For two days only, Angelenos have the chance to try some of the world’s most famous pizza, right in the heart of Los Angeles. Headlining California Pizza Festival’s first event, pizzaiolos from Naples’ Da Michele, founded in 1870 and known for its feature in the movie Eat Pray Love; and Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, the oldest pizzeria-tavern in Naples established in 1738, are being flown in just for the festival. Domestic stalwarts joining include Vito Lacopelli of Prova Pizzeria, Fernando Darin of Ray’s & Stark Bar, Ali Haider of 786 Degrees, and 12-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.

“My partner [Giancarlo] and I are thrilled to bring a slice of Italy to Los Angeles through California Pizza Festival. With renowned pizza chefs from all over the world, spanning from Southern California to Georgia to Italy, the event unites a huge community of pizza lovers. Pizza makes people happy and we’re using that to bring people together with live music, pizza acrobatics, and fun for everyone,” explains Festival Director Raffaele Scalzi. Both Scalzi and Co-Director Giancarlo Natale have deep roots in Italy, and partnered with Marra Forni to supply handcrafted wood-fired pizza ovens for chefs at the event, each oven its own unique handmade piece of art.

Pizza lovers have an abundance of styles to choose from, including Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York, and several gluten-free and vegan options. Entertainment during the event includes live pizza-making demos from the United States Pizza Team; a cookbook signing, demo, and meet-and-greet with Chef Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco; acrobat shows from World Champion Pizza Acrobat Danilo Pagano; live music; giveaways from event sponsors; and much more. Beverages sold throughout the venue include beers from L.A.’s Golden Road Brewery, along with wines from The Winebow Group.

Notable culinary talent and eateries participating include:

786 Degrees – Sun Valley, CA

Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba – Naples, Italy

Da Michele – Naples, Italy

Da Pasquale – Beverly Hills

Dominic’s Italian Restaurant – Oceanside

Dough and Joe – Los Angeles

Fahrenheit LA – Los Angeles

Fiamme Pizza – Tucson, AZ

Local Pizzaiolo – Atlanta, GA

Humble Crust pizza truck – Los Angeles

La Parolaccia Osteria – Long Beach

Le 5 Stagioni – Curtarolo, Italy

MOD Pizza – Los Angeles

Naked City Pizza – Las Vegas

Prova Pizzeria – Los Angeles

Ray’s and Stark Bar – Los Angeles

Settebello – Los Angeles

State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria – Los Altos, CA

On sale now, single-day festival tickets can be purchased online at calipizzafestival.com. General admission tickets are $45/person in advance and $60/person on the day of the event, with children’s tickets available for $20/child between ages 4-10. VIP tickets are $89/person and include exclusive access to the indoor-outdoor VIP space, a private bar, and three beverage vouchers.

Support for California Pizza Festival comes thanks to Caulipower, Anheuser-Busch, The Winebow Group, Le 5 Stagioni, Marra Forni, Ferrarelle, Entercom Communications, Angelo & Franco Mozzarella, and Monti Trentini.

For more information, please visit the website, and follow California Pizza Festival on Facebook and Instagram.

About California Pizza Festival

California Pizza Festival was founded by the creators of Boston Pizza Festival, Directors Raffaele Scalzi and Giancarlo Natale. With strong Italian roots and deep heritages, Scalzi and Natale look to bring to the U.S. something reminiscent of their homeland, with live music and delicious pizza. Scalzi owns Casa Mia Cucina Italiana in Marblehead, MA, where he shares his love of Southern Italian cuisine by serving family recipes passed down through generations. Natale has an extensive background in event production, planning, and execution.

For more information please contact: Caitlyn Arredondo or Jennifer Padilla at Wagstaff Worldwide. Emails may be sent to [email protected] or [email protected] and phone calls can be directed to 323.871.1151.

T to B: Pizzamaker Gennaro Luciano at his family’s pizzeria, Port’Alba; Pizzas at Da Michele; Chef Tony Gemignani

(photo credit: Rii Shroer for The Telegraph, SFGN, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana)