The days feel shorter, and the rainy weather has arrived for winter. We settle into this cozy season thinking about how grateful we are to our supporters, partners, and student workers who help bring food and wine programs to you and all our attendees who learn and have fun with the institute. We have exciting upcoming events, news, and videos this month.

The UC Davis Olive Center will host their annual Olio Nuovo Festival on November 23. You can experience the first taste of their fresh-pressed olive oil from the Wolfskill Experimental Orchard and support their work by purchasing any of their current olive oils. The center will also offer classes on growing olive trees and olive oil appreciation. Make sure to stop by this Saturday.

In partnership with the UC Davis Library, we will host Savor: Open Kitchens - Transforming Food Service through Community, Culture, and Ethical Leadership on December 5. Three visionary chefs, Norma Listman Sanchez, Saqib Keval, and Santana Diaz lead change in the food service industry through transparency, labor justice, and storytelling, using food as a community and political engagement tool. It will surely be a meaningful conversation, and I encourage you to register today.

FST 160 is a food product development class in the Department of Food Science and Technology. It is a prime example of innovative, hands-on opportunities for students to delve into food science. It's a fantastic academic quarter where they develop a new food product from concept to container. Watch our latest video to see the process and their final presentation showcase. I'm always impressed with their creativity and their delicious food concepts.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary May recently visited the RMI winery and even got his hands dirty helping with the grape harvest! Watch episode 12 of That May Be the Chancellor to tag along. Chancellor May also highlighted the many achievements of the Robert Mondavi Institute, the two academic departments, the Olive Center, the new Coffee Center, and many other entities in his latest newsletter. It is an impressive roundup of research and innovation in UC Davis's food and beverage space. We truly appreciate Chancellor May's support.

Please join us at an upcoming event and thank you for being a newsletter subscriber.

With gratitude,

Sincerely,

Ned Spang
Director, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology

View the entire November 2024 newsletter.