TRACY, CALIF. – The California Milk Advisory Board and its foodservice division announced details for a trio of upcoming events centered around dairy products.

First up is the fourth annual Real California Pizza Contest, which from March 1-April 24 will be accepting original recipes from professional chefs and pizzaiolos nationwide. The competition seeks to find the best pizza recipes that use cow’s milk cheeses from California.

Select contestants will compete at a bake-off final on June 22, in Napa, Calif., where up to $25,000 in prize money will be available.

The CMAB also is bringing back its CADairy2Go Invitational for a second year. The idea for the competition came from the adaptability displayed during the pandemic by chefs and foodservice operators, who came up with quick and creative ways to change their menus, as adapting to a takeout and delivery model became a must for businesses.

Slated for October, the CADairy2Go Invitational will invite culinary professionals from major chains, independent restaurants, ghost kitchens, food trucks and more to show off their to-go recipes and compete for up to $5,000 in prizes.

Additionally, the Cal-Mex Invitational will make its debut in 2022. The new event, on deck in August, looks to highlight creations from chefs who specialize in fusing California and Mexico cuisines.

“As the leading producer of Hispanic-style cheese and dairy products, we’re excited to add the Cal-Mex Invitational to our foodservice outreach program and to see what the chef’s develop,” said Mike Gallagher, business and market development consultant for the CMAB.

“Cheese is at the heart of culinary innovation – from creative pizzas to flavorful to-go and fusion dishes,” Gallagher said. “These competitions offer a tremendous opportunity to partner with culinary professionals to spotlight their creativity using our sustainably sourced real California dairy products.”