Edmonton welcomes first California Pizza Kitchen restaurant in Canada

Canada's first California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its doors in Edmonton this weekend to large fanfare.

The American casual upscale restaurant chain started in 1985 focuses on using high-quality ingredients to offer new takes on classic meals and fusion cuisine.

On Saturday, the new location celebrated its grand opening at the Currents of Windermere shopping centre.

"California is like the birthplace of where culinary advancement happens (right now)," said Naheed Shariff, CEO of CPK Alberta. "If you look at all of the newest, coolest things coming out, a lot of them are coming out of California."

Samira Shariff, president of CPK Canada, said the story for opening the Edmonton location spans back to 1985, when she and her husband first tried the restaurant while on vacation in the U.S.

"We ate at the first CPK in the U.S.," she told CTV News Edmonton. "We love the Thai pizza. It is unbelievable, and now to be able to taste the Thai pizza again in Edmonton is epic."

CPK has nearly 200 restaurants around the world, serving everything from pizza, handcrafted beverages, to innovative twists on pasta and salads.

"The products you get on your table are very fresh," Naheed said. "We use a lot of local suppliers for our meats and our cheeses."

"It just gives a wide spectrum of different food options."