Event Date
The formation of the Davis Farmers Market 50 years ago was a revolutionary movement to connect consumers directly to farmers and helped shape the fresh flavors of California cuisine. Markets have been a cornerstone of the community and have also played a pivotal role in food access, especially during supply chain shortages and widespread food recalls. Inevitably, markets have evolved. Join us as we explore the history, impact and changing role of farmers markets in local communities.
Registration:
The event will be presented in person at the Sensory Theatre, Robert Mondavi Institute, UC Davis Campus.
- Tickets are $25 per person, $15 for students (discount code is listed on the registration page).
- Includes a welcome reception with a hosted bar and appetizers.
- Limited seats are available. Parking details are below.
- A pop-up exhibit from the UC Davis Library Archives and Special Collections will be displayed in the lobby.
Tickets will go on sale soon.
Speaker Biographies:
The event will feature a panel of leading industry experts, including:
The event will feature a panel of leading industry experts, including:
Ann Evans is a UC Davis alumna and co-founded the Davis Farmers Market in 1975 with a group of UC Davis alumni and students who envisioned a new way to buy local, healthy food. They helped change state regulations around direct selling by farmers and made the Davis market a model for markets statewide. Evans was also a founding member of the Davis Food Co-op, which grew out of an informal buying club initially established by residents of the on-campus co-ops in spring 1972. The Davis Food Co-op now does about $18 million in business annually. Evans is the former mayor of the City of Davis and also served as a city council member. She is the author of the national award-winning Davis Farmers Market Cookbook and the newly published Market Memories Cookbook: Celebrating 50 Years.
Sam Greenlee is chief executive officer of Alchemist Community Development Corporation. Greenlee joined the Alchemist team in May 2020, after six years in the professional food safety industry and several years in community organizing as a co-founder of the Oak Park Fix-it Cafe. He served on the California Jobs First (formerly CERF) – Capital Region Leadership Council and serves as a Steering Committee member for the California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets and the Sacramento Food Policy Council. Sam is passionate about cultivating a regional food system that builds strong, equitable communities where our most vulnerable neighbors can flourish. He is a resident of the Oak Park neighborhood and spends his free time gardening, birdwatching, taking evening walks with his spouse, and enjoying time with his children.
Chutharat Sae Tong is co-owner of Majka Pizzeria and Bakery in downtown Sacramento, along with Alex Sherry. They are both alumni of the Cheese Board Collective, a famed Berkeley institution. Looking for a new opportunity, they knew Sacramento was the place to be after visiting the Saturday farmers market under the freeway. Against the odds, they opened Majka in June 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, operating their hyper-local restaurant through a single walk-up window and one seasonal pizza on the menu. Sherry continues to shop at the weekly farmers market, hand-selecting the best produce for their constantly changing pizza of the day on naturally leavened, whole-grain crust and Sae Tong’s artisan baked goods.
Moderator Catherine Brinkley is an associate professor in Human Ecology, Community and Regional Development in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. With a Ph.D. in city and regional planning, a veterinary medical degree, and a master's in virology, her research focuses on health and design. She is a former Fulbright Scholar, Watson Fellow, and National Science Foundation Career Award Winner. She has published on topics such as healthy food systems, local government planning and decision-making, and sustainable development. From 2021 to 2024, Brinkley served as Director of the Center for Regional Change, a university research center that partners with local governments and nonprofits for engaged scholarship centered on social equity. Her work is used internationally by the United National Food Agriculture Organization as well as local communities to guide plans and policies. Brinkley leads the Equity, Land, and Food Systems (ELFS) lab group, which currently works to inform citizen engagement in local climate and equity planning.
About:
Savor: Lectures on Food and Wine hosts thought leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and scientific experts for evenings of illuminating discussion on some of the biggest topics in food and wine being studied at UC Davis today. The Robert Mondavi Institute and UC Davis Library have embarked on this partnership to advance our shared commitment to supporting scholarship about food and wine, at UC Davis and beyond.
Venue & Parking:
This event will be in-person in the Silverado Vineyards Sensory Theater at the Robert Mondavi Institute, Sensory Building. Parking is available at the Gateway Parking Structure. Parking payment is enforced on weekdays. There are three options for parking payment:
- UC Davis uses AggiePark. Download the free AMP Park app on your iPhone or Android beforehand. When you park, you will enter the Zone (listed on the nearby sign) into the app and follow the instructions to pay for parking. This is the preferred and easiest method.
- If you do not have a smartphone to download the app, you can also sign up for an account online and follow the steps on the website: https://aimsmobilepay.com/
- Alternatively, permit machines in the Gateway Parking Structure accept credit cards. You will need to enter your license plate number into the machine to purchase a permit. We recommend this option as a last choice.
Questions?
If you have questions about this event, please email [email protected].