When the academic year starts, there is always a buzz of excitement. Students are moving in, faculty are preparing for classes, and we are solidifying our events for the year.

TASTE tickets will go on sale on Thursday, September 26, at noon. I hope you can join us at my favorite event of the year on October 12! It is an incredible night filled with friends, music, and, of course, delicious food, wine, and beer. I want to thank our vendors and exhibitors for donating their time and energy to the event. Please visit the TASTE webpage to see the list and support them!

Please save the date for our October 22 Walt Klenz Lectureship Series on Wine Business. We will welcome Edward Matovcik, Vice President of Public Affairs at Constellation Brands, to present the lecture. Tickets will go on sale soon.

I want to share some recent articles and podcasts highlighting UC Davis's innovation in food and beverage. It is a testament to our faculty and student researchers that there are topics on increasing acreage of agave cultivation in California, the effects of climate change on wine production, a look inside the new Coffee Center building, the future of alternative proteins, and new ways to produce chocolate. Delve into these topics at the links below this letter.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden have been a long-standing partner with the RMI, as you can see when you visit the Good Life Garden in the middle of our complex. Kathleen Socolofsky, assistant vice chancellor and director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, was awarded the highest honor by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA)—the Honorary Life Member Award—for her extraordinary contributions to the public garden field. This award is a remarkable testament to her vision and leadership. Congratulations Kathleen!

I hope you are experiencing fall weather where you are and that we can welcome you to an RMI event soon.

Sincerely,

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

View the entire September 2024 newsletter.