Sips & Bites: UC Davis-made

Watertower at UC Davis

Virtual, via Zoom

UC Davis is home to world-class education and research centers, many of which produce and/or sell high-quality products as part of their programs. Just in time for the holidays, we showcase olive oil, honey, coffee, and meat that supports UC Davis centers. Learn about these programs and taste the products alongside Caleb Sehnert of the Meat Lab, Amina Harris of the Honey and Pollination Center, William Ristenpart of the Coffee Center, and Javier Fernandez-Salvador of the Olive Center. You can taste the Aggie Pride!

Tasting:

We’ll be tasting a selection of UC Davis-made products. Sales of products from the UC Davis Olive Center, UC Davis Honey & Pollination Center, the UC Davis Coffee Center, and the UC Davis Meat Lab are integral contributors to the supporting efforts to provide research and education to students, industry leaders, and consumers.

Olive oil, coffee, and honey can be purchased online at the UC Davis Bookstore, or on campus and in downtown Davis. Attendees are encouraged to purchase items by November 9 due to limited supply and shipping deadlines.

The Meat Lab is open Thursdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for onsite pick on the UC Davis campus. Cash or check only. (shipping is not available)

Items we'll be tasting:

Speakers:

Caleb Sehnert is the Manager of the UC Davis Meat Lab performing daily functions along with teaching duties since 2008. The UC Davis Meat Lab is a federally inspected meat processing plant located on the UC Davis campus in the Harold Cole Facility for the Study of Biology of Large Animals. The Meat Lab is part of the Department of Animal Science and is used for teaching and research activities. Caleb loves teaching animal science students and coaching them on how to make their award-winning sausages, hams, chorizo, jerky, and other meat products.

Amina Harris is the Director of the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, UC Davis. In addition, Amina is the owner of Z Specialty Food, LLC with her husband and son. The Honey and Pollination Center showcases the importance of both honey and pollination to the wellbeing of consumers through education and research through its vision: to help make UC Davis the world’s leading authority on honey bee health, pollination, and honey quality. Projects of the Center include the development of a Honey Tasting and Aroma Wheel and the creation of a Master Beekeeping Program.

Professor William D. Ristenpart leads a research group focused on understanding complex transport phenomena in a variety of important applications. Recent research topics include the behavior of colloids near electrodes, charge transfer into emulsified water droplets in high voltage fields, the behavior of red blood cells in constrictions, splatter of blood in forensics investigations, and the production of expiratory aerosols during vocalization. Ristenpart is also passionate about coffee and became the Founding Director of the UC Davis Coffee Center, a multidisciplinary research and education effort focused on advancing coffee science.

Javier Fernandez-Salvador is the director of the UC Davis Olive Center, overseeing education, outreach, products, and strategy. He served as an assistant professor in the extension service of Oregon State University (OSU) where he led a multi-disciplinary team investigating olive propagation, cold-hardiness, and fruit production. He has had extensive experience in developing research strategies with growers and processors in many crops. He is fluent in Spanish and in the final stages of receiving a PhD from OSU.

Moderator Andrew Waterhouse is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, and has previously held the John E. Kinsella Chair in Food, Nutrition, and Health, and the Marvin Sands Endowed Chair in Viticulture and Enology. He has won a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow award, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bordeaux, and has been named one of the most highly cited researchers in agriculture by ISI. In 2018, he was named the director of the Robert Mondavi Institute. 

Recipe:

Here's a bonus recipe using all these UC Davis ingredients in one dish. We will not be tasting this dish during the event but we invite you to try it out at your convenience.

Spare Ribs with Coffee Rub

Ingredients
1/4 cup very finely ground UC Davis Aggie Bold coffee (espresso grind)
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons onion powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon cayenne (more if you like it hotter)
2 Tablespoons UC Davis Coriander Honey
2 Tablespoons UC Davis Wolfskill Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon water
1 rack of UC Davis Meat Lab pork spareribs

Directions
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl, add coffee, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Mix to combine. Add the honey, olive oil, and water. Use a rubber spatula to mix into a thick paste.

The paste is easiest to apply with your fingers. Coat your fingertips in a little oil and spread the paste over all sides of the ribs. Place ribs on a baking sheet and cook for 3-4 hours, flipping every 1/2 hour, until very tender.

About:

This event is part of the Sips and Bites series, which explores the stories behind foods and drinks with winemakers, brewers, and culinary innovators with tastings and conversations about what inspires them to make their wines, beers, and foods. 

Venue:

This is a virtual event that will be presented via Zoom. In order to access this webinar, you will need a free Zoom account, which you can sign up for here.

Questions?

If you have questions about this event, please email: rmievents@ucdavis.edu.