The California Restaurant Show opened Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will run through Tuesday, August 27th. The trade show and conference spotlights menu trends, state-of-the-art design and décor, cooking demos, competitions and hundreds of exhibitors offering the newest food products, technology and equipment. It’s also the new home of the California Pizza Challenge (CPC) sponsored by REAL California Milk and hosted by PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team.
The event is co-located with the Pizza Tomorrow Summit Pavilion and Coffee Fest Los Angeles. The expansive trade show floor will feature 220 exhibitors showcasing new products, services and technologies from leading suppliers and innovators in the industry.
Educational sessions focus on topics like the hottest trends in food and beverage; increasing food-friendly financials; steps to great service; digital hospitality; effective leadership; team building; legal advice; dealing with workplace violence; the FDA’s traceability rule; reducing food loss and waste; AI’s impact on foodservice; direct mail; negotiating leases; and others.
The Culinary Innovation Theater features distinguished American chef Rocco DiSpirito; James Beard Award-winning Chef Stephanie Izard; plant-based chef Nina Curtis; master sommelier David Glancy; Glenn Cybulski, founder of Chefs Feeding Kids; and chef/author Eric Greenspan. Sysco Foods, the sponsor of the Culinary Innovation Theater, will also provide two culinary demonstrations. The stage will be hosted by chef and food personality Deanna “Bomb Chica” Colón.
Additionally, the Culinary Innovation Theater will feature the Rapid Fire Challenge Sizzling Skirt Steak Competition sponsored by Sysco. Eight participating chefs will compete for the chance to win $1,000 and recognition. The competition takes place on Tuesday, August 27, at 12:30 p.m.
All attendees are invited to register for the Restaurant Management 201 Workshop led by Darren Denington and Alison Anne, who will guide the entire management team through the process of becoming a cohesive team with strong leadership.
For pizzeria owners or those interested in adding pizza to their menu, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit Pavilion provides new sourcing opportunities, plus several educational opportunities including a culinary demo by Cybulski, a certified Italian pizzaiolo, and Kira and Mark Zabrowski, owners of Much Ado About Pizza, along with the California Pizza Challenge.
The latter celebrates California’s long history of producing some of the country’s finest cheese. Hosted by the U.S. Pizza Team, the CPC will feature four culinary events and four athletic categories. Culinary competitions include: Non-Traditional; Pizza in the Pan; Best Traditional Sauce; and the REAL California Milk 3-Cheese Championship. Athletic events include Individual Freestyle Acrobatics; Team Freestyle Acrobatics Challenge; Largest Dough Stretch; Fastest Pie Maker; and Fastest Box Folder.
The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is sponsored by the California Restaurant Association. The CRA will host a Legal Center Live session and a session titled, “PAGA Has Been Reformed: Now What? Learn Practical Solutions to the New PAGA Environment.”
The California Restaurant Show is owned by Restaurant Events, LLC which also produces the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit, to be held November 6-7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, as well as the New York Restaurant Show taking place March 23-35, 2025 at the Javits Center in New York City.
