UC Davis’s world-leading expertise in food, sustainable agriculture, tea and more will be on display at Terra Madre Americas, an international slow food festival this weekend in Sacramento.

UC Davis Health is a presenting sponsor for the free event, which is set for Friday (Sept 26), Saturday and Sunday at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center, and experts from both sides of the Causeway will host panel discussions, chef demonstrations, tastings and more.

"It is very exciting to see UC Davis expertise shared on an international stage at Terra Madre Americas, said Ashley Stokes, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “We have such an impressive list of faculty, staff and students from the college and across campus sharing their research and innovations on various topics including regenerative agriculture, the importance of small farms and biodiversity, food and wine, climate impact, waste reduction, aquaculture and so much more. I'm looking forward to moderating a critical discussion on the opportunities and challenges for agriculture in California and connecting with people from all over the world."

Scheduled to speak alongside Stokes for that panel are Anne Todgham, professor and chair of the Department of Animal Science; Majdi Abou Najm, associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources; Neal M. Williams, professor of entomology; and Colin Dixon, director of the Student Farm.

“I hope to share with attendees that people at UC Davis are working not just on large scale problems or in labs, but are thinking about how science can help farmers and eaters at all scales, about how to grow food sustainably — ecologically and socially,” Dixon said.

Terra Madre Americas is hosted by Visit Sacramento and the Slow Food Foundation. Organizers say the event will be similar to the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto festival held in even-numbered years in Italy, and Visit Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork Festival, which has been held annually on Capitol Mall for more than a decade. Visit Sacramento hopes this Sacramento event will be an odd-numbered year event for the Western Hemisphere, rotating with the celebration in Italy, anchored in Northern California in part due to UC Davis experts and leadership on food and agricultural issues.

“Slow Food selecting Sacramento as its American host is a true testament to where the city is in our culinary journey, and marrying the event with the Farm-to-Fork Festival will take the event to the next level,” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento.

Inspiring with food 

Another panelist, UC Davis Health Executive Chef Santana Diaz, said faculty and staff from both campuses have been working together to plan the university’s participation at the event.

“The goal is to educate attendees on our sustainable procurement efforts through great tasting food while sharing the broader message that Good Food is Good Medicine and the Believe in Better campaign,” Diaz said. “My hope is that our health care food program inspires more sustainable changes within other institutions to secure the regional food systems of any global geographic region.”

Diaz is scheduled to speak on one panel and moderate two others. He will share the stage with farmers and dining staffers from the Davis campus, including Dining Services Executive Chef Kue Her and Executive Director Kraig Brady.

Brady said his goal is to convey “how institutional dining programs can support local and sustainable farms, ranches and fisheries, and how we can really make an impact with our collective buying power with intentional buying strategies.”

Chefs from both campuses will demonstrate how to make dishes featuring local ingredients, including vegetables from the Student Farm and tomato sauce made on campus. 

Experts from the Global Tea Institute will also be participating in the event, holding a panel discussion on the health benefits of tea, encouraging attendees to compare the aroma of different types of teas, discussing a tea flavor wheel created by a faculty member, and sharing information about the institute’s forthcoming book on tea studies around the world.

A full list of panels and events featuring UC Davis experts is available online.

More information about the festival is available on the Terra Madre Americas website.