WATERTOWN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota pizza chefs Sean Dempsey and David Solum took top honors at the 2026 REAL California Pizza Challenge held during the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo in Anaheim, California.
In the competition featuring cooks from across the US, Dempsey took 1st place in the gluten-free division for the second year in a row, while Solum took 1st place in the REAL California 3-Cheese Challenge and 3rd in the gluten-free division.
“We push each other constantly in the kitchen, and bringing these titles back to our community in South Dakota shows that world-class pizza isn’t confined to the coasts,” Dempsey said…