California Pizza Kitchen founder lists Beverly Park estate for $48.5 million

The house that pizza built is hitting the market in Beverly Crest, where a French Normandy-style mansion owned by California Pizza Kitchen co-founder Larry Flax just surfaced for sale at $48.5 million.

Flax co-founded the restaurant chain in 1985, and records show he picked up the property newly built seven years later.

Spanning nearly three acres, the compound sits in coveted Beverly Park, a gated community within Beverly Crest, one of the ritziest enclaves in all of Southern California where stars such as Magic Johnson, Denzel Washington and Sylvester Stallone have owned homes. The cheapest option currently up for sale in the neighborhood is $33 million; the most expensive — Mark Wahlberg’s place — is asking $79.5 million.

Flax’s home is a European-inspired showplace filled with marble and stone. It holds five bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms across more than 14,000 square feet. The guesthouse adds a pair of bedrooms and bathrooms in 1,400 square feet.

A motor court marks the entry, leading into dramatic spaces such as a golden-domed foyer with a sweeping staircase, a French-style library lined with wood and a formal dining room with coved ceilings and hand-painted walls.

Another highlight comes in the limestone-clad family room, which features a marble fireplace and built-in bar. It overlooks a backyard complete with a tennis court, rose garden, 70-foot-long swimming pool and reflecting pool anchored by a statue of the Greek mythological figures Daphne and Apollo.

Linda May of Carolwood Estates and Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Realty hold the listing.