The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) today announced that it is putting the 2020 Real California Pizza Contest on hold due to the current COVID-19 situation and its effect on the foodservice community.

The Real California Pizza Contest is the CMAB’s annual search for the best pizza recipes using Real California Cheese. The contest, which awards prizes totaling $29,500 for the most innovative uses of cow’s milk cheeses from California, is open to professional chefs and culinary students throughout the U.S.

“We know how hard the current situation is hitting the foodservice community and that they need to concentrate on the health and well-being of their staff, families and businesses,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “We’ll look forward to hosting the contest once we’ve emerged from the current crisis.”

The plan is to reinstate the Real California Pizza Contest once it is safe to do so. All entries received to date will automatically be included in and eligible to participate in the reinstated contest. Contest approach, process and details will all remain consistent – with entry dates, deadlines and the final bakeoff schedule as the only variables.

The CMAB will be watching the situation carefully over the upcoming weeks and paying close attention to guidance from health and public safety authorities. Once it is safe to invite professional chefs and culinary students to enter the contest, the new contest schedule will be announced.

Please refer to www.realcaliforniamilk.com/foodservice for up-to-date contest status.