August 2022: Letter from the Director
Harvest & Happenings
Even with the high temperatures this week, you can feel fall approaching. The grape harvest has started in the teaching vineyard at the Robert Mondavi Institute, and the campus is gearing up for the return of students next month.
The Good Life Garden sits at the center of the Robert Mondavi Institute, and we're proud to share a new video tour for those unable to visit. It features staff, volunteer, and student voices and is the first in a series we'll share over the coming months. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and you'll be the first to be notified as our tour videos are released!
We are preparing for upcoming classes, events, and the return of TASTE, our food, and wine fundraiser, on October 15. It will be hosted under olive and sycamore trees in the Good Life Garden and promises a beautiful evening with friends and colleagues. Tickets will go on sale in mid-September, and we will send an announcement email when they are available for purchase. If you have friends interested in attending, please encourage them to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date.
Earlier this year, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican invited Javier Fernandez-Salvador to The Art & Science of Olive Oil: Nutrition, Medicine and Planetary Health. Javier represented UC Davis in his role as Executive Director of the Olive Center. He met chef, author, and Greek food ambassador Maria Loi and an idea sparked.
Last week, Chef Loi collaborated with the Olive Center to host the hands-on Olive Curious Youth class where teenage food-lovers learned about olive oil, sensory tasting, sustainability, gardening, and cooking over two days. It was a great success, and Chef Loi was an enthusiastic and generous ambassador who inspired kids and adults to love olive oil and cooking.
I want to share one more video with you that showcases the Institute. The new Thought/Space series produced by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) highlight campus places with deep meaning. Watch brewer Joe Williams' story about the brewery in this fourth installment.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Andrew Waterhouse
Director, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science