The MRP conducts one public event each academic year. These events have been, and will continue to be, designed to bring the academic expertise of its members into conversation with food, wine, and beer industry professionals and the general public.

The Tasting Histories conference, held in February 2009, brought one hundred and thirty people to UC Davis for the three-day event; roughly sixty of those were members of industry and the general public. It met the goals we will continue to have for yearly public forums by 1) enabling MRP graduate students to present their works in progress and get feedback from food experts beyond our MRP, 2) engaging members of the general public in UC scholarship and providing a base upon which to build public interest and program support, 3) generating publicity in local and international academic journals and popular media, and 4) enabling MRP faculty members to position themselves as experts in the field for the academic, public, and industry attendees.