As a health and fitness blogger, I get invited to all kinds of fun events. When I was contacted by California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) to attend their new menu tasting, paired with local beer by Ballast Point, I grabbed a BFF and hopped in an Uber and was ready to be beer’ed and dined! CPK has been a longstanding restaurant brand providing delicious meal options many of which are quite healthy, I was excited to see the new menu!

A night with the California Pizza Kitchen Team!

Upon arrival at the North County Fair location of CPK, we were pleased to be greeted warmly and handed tasters of several beers and yummy appetizers. We were off to a good start!

The other guests were a collection of bloggers, general media, CPK loyal clients and also included the CEO, President, and head chef of CPK. The top brewers and founder of Ballast Point were also on hand and it was awesome to hear the stories of these established brands and how they have grown and thrived over decades.

President — super cool, super chill dude!

The drool worthy display of the food offerings continued all evening and were paired with the some of my new favorite beers. I was especially excited to see an arugula quinoa salad that could rival one of my famous kitchen sink salad creations. Along with the salad, other new options included a Brussel sprout bacon flatbread, mushroom pasta, carne asada pizza with salsa verde, buffalo cauliflower, and spicy shisedo peppers. As expected, everything was delicious.

We snagged a cozy seat and enjoyed some appetizers and beer. We had wonderful conversations with the CEO and President, as well as the head chef, who all stopped by our table and shared their passion and excitement for the new menu at CPK.

And did I mention we ate some pizza? 😉

Decades of CPK Memories

We had a great discussions with everybody and after about a dozen conversations, I realized CPK has been a huge part of my history:

• I had my very first ever BBQ Chicken Pizza in 1996 in Santa Barbara. That’s like 20+ years ago!
• After my BBQ chicken pizza, I realized the BBQ chopped chicken salad was my favorite salad ever, and has been my go-to for well over a decade.
• The first time I ever had humus (like EVER) was at CPK…potentially in San Luis Obispo? Now I make it on the reg and it’s a huge Clean & Colorful staple.
• CPK in Solana Beach was my designated hot spot for match.com dates in the mid 2000’s. A glass of sauv blanc and a BBQ chicken salad was always a win regardless of the results of the dates. ha ha.
• CPK in La Jolla is where I met with my longest standing running gal pals on a regular basis for many many years. And on that note, we should schedule a reunion.

A new memory made in 2017! One more good one for the books!

It’s funny when you realize a consistent staple in your life. Meeting the president and CEO of the establishment and how much they cared was really quite special.

A Fun Pizza Giveaway!

As if the CPK team had not been generous enough with their time and delicious menu offerings, they sent us home with gift bags. And not a silly one full of fridge magnets, it’s like a really good gift bag. And it’s not that I don’t want more pizza, it’s just that I already stuffed myself and I’d get more joy out of sharing it with one of you! The winner of this giveaway will end up with a killer cookbook, pinot noir seasoned salt, some fun CPK swag and a $25 gift card!

How do you win the CPK giveaway?

Easy! Just comment below on your favorite CPK menu item, memory or one of these new yummy goodies you’d like to try and your next pizza is on me! I have to ship it to you, so US only please. And share your comment before next Sunday, February 5th, I’ll pick the winner on Monday the 6th. I can’t wait to read your comments and share the CPK love!

Teresa Marie Howes, BS, CPT, HHP

www.teresamariewellness.com

Teresa Marie is a nutrition expert, fitness enthusiast and health coach. She is backed with a BS in Nutrition, an MBA, a CPT from ACE and 16+ years of experience in the weight loss and wellness space. She is the founder and lead contributor of this site and coaches clients across the globe on how to achieve better health and more happiness by implementing the 4 Universal Diet Truths of her Clean & Colorful Concept.