California Pizza Kitchen Announces Appointment of Three New Board Members

Charles Yamarone, JR Young, and John C. Tolbert to join company board of directors

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), the creator of the California-style pizza, today announced the appointment of three new board members - Charles Yamarone, Chief Corporate Governance Officer of Houlihan Lokey Inc.; JR Young, Head of Active Management and Portfolio Manager for Jefferies Finance LLC; and John C. Tolbert, Senior Vice President of BRE Hotels & Resorts. They join existing board members Jeff Warne, CEO of California Pizza Kitchen; Daniel Kokini, Managing Director at FTI Consulting; and Ashley Sheetz, Chief Operating Officer of At Home Group Inc.

“CPK is delighted to announce that Charles Yamarone, JR Young and John C. Tolbert will be joining our board of directors,” said Jeff Warne, CEO, California Pizza Kitchen. “As highly respected business leaders, they each bring valuable experience to further enhance and balance the diverse skills on the Board and advance our growth plans. We look forward to benefitting from their expertise as CPK continues to accelerate its current business momentum and build on its position as the leader in creative California-inspired cuisine.”

California Pizza Kitchen’s new board members are:

• Charles Yamarone, Chief Corporate Governance Officer of Houlihan Lokey, Inc., a global investment bank. Yamarone has previously served on several public company boards including United Airlines, Continental Airlines, the El Paso Electric Company, and Redbox Entertainment.
• JR Young, Head of Active Management and Portfolio Manager for Jefferies Finance LLC, where he focuses on large exposures, business restructuring and private equity investments. In addition to CPK, Young currently sits on the board for TOMS Shoes and Forma Brands.
• John C. Tolbert, SVP of Asset Management at BRE Hotels & Resorts. With over three decades of experience in hospitality and tourism launching major hospitality brands and leading luxury resorts, Tolbert is a public speaker in the luxury space and board member for numerous community and professional organizations.

About California Pizza Kitchen
In 1985, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its first restaurant in Beverly Hills and introduced diners to gourmet California inspired pizza. With a passion for combining fresh, seasonal ingredients with flavor inspirations from around the world, today CPK is a global brand serving creative California cuisine in more than 180 restaurants across 10 countries and U.S. territories. From its innovative, hearth-baked pizzas such as The Original BBQ Chicken, Thai Chicken, and California Club, to inventive salads, and unique pasta dishes that combine the old world with the new, CPK does everything with an imaginative California-inspired twist that guests love.