California Pizza Kitchen Elevates Taste with Reimagined, Oven-Ready Pizzas

California Pizza Kitchen, known for creating innovative pizzas in both its restaurant chains and in the freezer aisle of grocery stores, announced that it has reimagined six of its classic oven-ready pizza recipes, created a completely new recipe, and added two new, limited-edition offerings to the California Pizza Kitchen lineup found in grocers' freezer cases. The announcement, made at an event hosted by TV personality Maria Menounos in Los Angeles, is a continuation of a brand-wide update for California Pizza Kitchen that began with a reinvention of the restaurant menu earlier this year and continues in 2014 with updated restaurant spaces. In the grocery store, consumers will experience new recipes with premium ingredients and flavor combinations in the California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas, reimagined with an eye toward California creativity and easy, at-home entertaining. "In my line of work, I'm always on the road, so one of my favorite ways to unwind is to invite friends over for a fun, relaxing 'Girls Night In,'" says Menounos.  "On those nights, I want to prepare something delicious, but it has to be easy so that I can spend time with my friends. The new California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas are ideal for easy entertaining and give me restaurant-quality taste from my own oven. From the premium ingredients to the new crispier crust, there's a perfect pizza for any occasion." The new, restaurant-inspired California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas have been upgraded with even more premium ingredients like leafy basil and Gouda cheese, bringing an elevated and upscale taste experience, company officials say. The California Pizza Kitchen pizzas are topped with enhanced sauces and more cheese, improving the most popular varieties of California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas, they add. "Since launching in 1998, it has always been our goal to take our consumers on a culinary journey that is unlike anything they have ever experienced," says Todd Macsuga, director of marketing for Nestle Pizza. "We know that our consumers are always on a quest for more premium ingredients and have sophisticated tastes. For us, that means bolder, unexpected ingredients, flavors and a superior Crispy Thin Crust in our newly reimagined California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas." Flavorful Varieties. Reimagined. In addition to elevating the taste of six California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust classic flavors – BBQ Recipe Chicken, Margherita, White, Signature Pepperoni, Sicilian Recipe and Four Cheese, the line has added the California Pizza Kitchen Fire-Roasted Vegetables pizza to its repertoire. Previously a limited edition pizza, the Fire-Roasted Vegetables pizza -- a Crispy Thin Crust topped with roasted red and yellow peppers, spinach, garlic, roasted red pepper sauce, mozzarella, smoked Gouda, Parmesan, Asiago and Romano cheeses -- became such a consumer favorite that it's earned a permanent place in the oven-ready pizza line-up. In addition, California Pizza Kitchen has introduced two limited edition Crispy Thin Crust varieties:

California Pizza Kitchen Restaurants: Truly Inspired Dining Experience Like the updated oven-ready pizza recipes, the California Pizza Kitchen restaurant dining experience is evolving and expanding to be at the forefront of innovation and relevance. The new restaurant menu – which includes a new hand-tossed crust recipe – is designed to be more individual and attractive to consumers who dine out today. All of the new California Pizza Kitchen reimagined frozen pizza varieties are available now in the grocery store freezer case for a suggested retail price of $6.79. For more information about the entire line of California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizza products as well as entertaining tips from Maria Menounos, visit www.cpkfrozen.com.