The popular campus center supports students of various backgrounds, both socially and academically

By LYNN CHEN — features@theaggie.org 

“Student Community Center” –– the name implies it all. The building, also called the SCC, is a safe space for all students. It houses various life centers and academic services, such as the Cross Cultural Center (CCC), LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, AB540 and Undocumented Student Center and the Undergraduate Resource Center, to support and empower students of various communities.

You can also find the CoHo South Cafe on the first floor to relax in as well as interesting club events hosted in the conference rooms to look out for. Additionally, the computer lab on the second floor provides a quiet space for students to work in.

“The [SCC] feels sort of small when you walk into the lobby compared to some other buildings on campus, but it’s actually a large building once you get into each of the centers,” Janna Tolla, director of student unions, said. “[Each center has] a lot of great space, but it’s nice because there’s still a tight-knit community.” 

According to Tolla, the design of the building, with the individual student centers branching out from a single lobby, creates a shared space for people to comfortably study and socialize in. 

Furthermore, the common spaces within the SCC are also places in which students can freely express themselves and discover their own community.

“Walking by rooms [in the SCC], you can hear others finding a space to really vocalize their feelings, and coming together to discuss everything and really process and think,” Madeline Galan, a fourth-year psychology major and the CCC’s resource coordinator, said. “That’s really important for communities.”

Each resource center works hard to educate, support and foster inclusivity within the different communities that they’re dedicated to. Tolla explained that these centers advocate for students on their behalf, get students the academic support they need and connect them to helpful resources around campus.

For instance, the CCC hosts workshops and discussions to learn about the diverse cultural backgrounds present on campus and how these backgrounds might intersect.

“[Our events] help you learn about other people’s cultures, but you can also learn more about your own culture,” Ritu Goyal, a third-year cognitive science major and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community coordinator at the CCC, said. “I think [these events] promote open-mindedness, inclusivity and cultural diversity.”

The physical space of the SCC was intentionally designed to create a comfortable atmosphere for students to be in.

A neutral color palette is utilized on the furniture, accessories and architecture of the inside of the building, a characteristic that Kerry Raffetto, assistant director for student unions pointed out. 

“In the main shared spaces of the building, we really work to keep it as a very calming environment for students,” Raffetto said.

The SCC also provides “reflection rooms,” which are quiet rooms for people to pray, meditate or reflect in. Raffetto emphasized the value of this resource center. 

“[The SCC] is truly just a place for people to connect, study and take a break,” Raffetto said.

Written by: Lynn Chen — features@theaggie.org 

Teaspoon has become a Davis favorite due to its unique boba flavors and convenient hours

By ARYAMAN BHATIA — features@theaggie.org 

Teaspoon has been voted as Best Boba in Davis, accumulating 39.5% of all votes for the category. Located at 110 F St. Suite D and open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. during all days of the week, Teaspoon is one of the most popular boba options for a reason. 

Teaspoon is known for its premium choices of ingredients in their boba drinks, including ube, taro and jasmine. Aside from drinks, they also offer a variety of macarons and cakes. 

Isabel Su-jin Wade, a second-year psychology and design double major, commented on why she enjoys going to the boba shop. 

“I really like Teaspoon for their boba tea, specifically the ladybug drink,” Su-jin Wade said. “The atmosphere is always very friendly, and I think it’s pretty affordable for the amount you get as well”.

At Teaspoon, you can either order at the counter or through the app for a more convenient experience. The short preparation time and their late-day availability are two of the many reasons students are drawn to Teaspoon over other boba shops in the area. 

Shanya Prasad, a second-year student psychology major, described why she likes Teaspoon.

“They produce quality drinks along with their long hours, which are convenient for students who work late hours,” Prasad said. 

Boba is a common choice of food among college students and is still growing in popularity, serving as a quick snack between classes during the day. 

Enzo Ollano, a second-year majoring in materials science and engineering, shared his experience going to the boba shop.

“I like the aesthetic at Teaspoon, and I got the house milk tea, which was really refreshing, especially in the heat,” Ollano said.

Despite the many options for boba in Davis, Teaspoon stands out due to its unique offerings and for its many campus-involved events.

Grace Lim, a second-year cognitive science major, mentioned why this involvement with UC Davis adds to the accessibility of Teaspoon. 

“I like how they partner with Davis organizations, so they always give some out at the [Memorial Union] and Silo,” Lim said.

Written by: Aryaman Bhatia — features@theaggie.org

The store gives customers a place to interact with each other and enjoy music 

By JORDAN POLTORAK — features@theaggie.org 

Even in the age of streaming music, students have voted Armadillo Music as their favorite shop downtown, holding 44.7% of the vote. The store, located at 207 F Street, is filled with records, CDs, posters and pins and even has a bar inside. From the concerts and events to the two floors of new and used products, there’s something at Armadillo Music for everyone in the Davis area. 

“A record store makes people warm and fuzzy inside,” Paul Wilbur, the Armadillo store manager, said. “You get to connect to other people and connect with music.”

Davis Mayor Joshua Chapman took over the store alongside his wife, Athena, in 2010, the store having been in Chapman’s family since its opening in 1996.

“Someone can be browsing and all of a sudden, they’re talking to the person next to them who [they’ve] never met before,” Chapman said. “They’re making connections over music and lived experiences they’ve had around music.”

More than ever, people are looking for a place to make connections. Record stores give them just that, and more. 

“It’s one of those businesses that’s a bit more intimate, and in an internet world, it’s hard to feel like you’re in an intimate setting,” Wilbur said. “They come in, and they know me, Josh, the owners and all [of] the other employees. The internet is this giant, massive, vast place and this gives them a small space to come hang out.”

The store features a myriad of vintage records as well as new releases like Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” and provides the opportunity to buy, sell and trade items. It also frequently hosts local bands that perform in the store — if you’re interested in performing, Armadillo Music is always booking bands, and you can email them at bookingarmadillomusic@gmail.com for more information. 

“This is a place where people come and hang out,” Wilbur said. “You can spend an hour here and just look at stuff and it’s fun.” 

Meghan White, a first-year sociology major, recalls going to Redbox and Blockbuster as a child and described why she thinks music stores are so successful to this day.

“I’d never gone to a music store before Armadillo,” White said. “People go for nostalgia.” 

Armadillo Music provides the perfect mix of nostalgia and novel. The store’s next event will be on April 20 for the national annual Record Store Day where doors will open at 9 a.m. for customers to access rare records. This day is meant to celebrate independently owned record stores, just like Armadillo. 

Written by: Jordan Poltorak — features@theaggie.org

The iconic Davis bakery charms its patrons with beautiful and delicious baked goods

By EMMA CONDIT — features@theaggie.org

If you’ve ever been to the Davis Farmers Market, you may recognize Upper Crust Baking company –– known for its friendly faces and high-quality selection of artisanal breads, pastries and baked goods. This establishment was voted the Best Bakery of Davis by 58.8% of student votes.

The bakery is located at 634 G St., just two stores up from the Davis Food Co-op. The bakery also has a second location in Winters, CA. 

Though its storefront only opened in 2019, the iconic Davis bakery has been around since 1986, when a couple, Trudy and Morris “Mo” Kalinsky, decided to bring New York-style baking to the then-rural Davis area. 

Morris began baking as a hobby. In the bakery’s early days, he and Trudy distributed their goods across 50 different farmers markets. 

“I got started baking with Julia Child’s second book, the one where she teaches you to make baguettes at home,” Morris said. “I’d come in at five in the morning, bake a bunch of baguettes — a sack of flour would make 60 baguettes. We’d load up the car and we were the bread fairy. We’d give them out to restaurants so they could taste them.”

Today, Upper Crust Bakery is owned and operated by Lorin Kalinsky, Trudy and Morris’s son. Lorin shared insights from his journey at Upper Crust. 

“I kind of grew up with the bakery, and I lived away from Davis for most of my adult life,” Lorin said. “I lived in Paris for many years, and in San Francisco. I got married and had kids in France, and I moved back to Davis in 2015 and started to get involved with the bakery.” 

Lorin shared that the bakery specializes in a solid mix of Jewish-deli-style baked goods and French-inspired baking. 

The bakery’s staples include New York-style cheesecake, New York-style bagels — still made with the original recipe — Bordeaux-style baguettes and croissants. Upper Crust also makes a delicious assortment of bread, chocolate babka, Swedish cardamom buns, French canelés and much more. 

Last year, Upper Crust was hit hard when a car crashed through the front window of the store. Some were injured and the bakery was left with a plywood front wall for many months. 

“We were able to, after a long time, get the storefront reopened,” Lorin said. “Now, in the next couple days, we’re going to break ground on an outdoor patio.” 

The scary accident was caused in part by parking spaces that face directly into the bakery. By transforming those spaces into a patio, Lorin hopes to make the space safer and more welcoming. 

“It will be a nice place to hang out. We’re looking forward to having some parties and having some live music,” Lorin said. “We’re hoping to make Upper Crust a little more of a focal point for the community and do some more cool things.”

Upper Crust Baking relies on the strong connections it has made with local vendors and farmers. The bakery and all three generations of it, ensure the highest quality ingredients in its baked goods. 

“[Lorin] makes amazing things,” Trudy said. “We all really value the idea of ‘local.’ As much as possible, we buy things locally. We buy the raisins and nuts from Mariani [Premium Dried Fruit] in Winters — a lot of the ingredients are local and that’s very important.” 

Upper Crust calls this method “farm-to-oven,” a play on the traditional phrase “farm-to-fork.”

The bakery is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Upper Crust’s owners and bakers would love to expand their reach to UC Davis students and more of the Davis community. 

“We’ve lived in California [for] so long, we identify as Californians,” Trudy said. “We’re delighted that Davis has been so welcoming and nurturing to a small business.” 

Written by: Emma Condit — features@theaggie.org

Unitrans celebrated its 56th birthday and 100 millionth rider this year

By SYDNEY AMESTOY — campus@theaggie.org

Unitrans has been voted Best ASUCD Unit with 29.6% of the vote. The bus service was founded in 1968 by ASUCD and has been connecting students and the Davis community to both the campus and city for decades. This partnership between Unitrans and the city of Davis came to be in the 1970s, according to Jeffery Flynn, the Unitrans general manager. 

This 2023 to 2024 academic year specifically saw numerous milestones for the transportation service as the unit celebrated both its 56th birthday as an organization and recently held a celebration for its 100 millionth rider this past February.  

“[Unitrans] projected out when we would be carrying that 100 millionth rider,” Flynn said. “We selected a random, representative bus that would bring in that 100 millionth rider, and we randomly handed everybody on that bus a gift bag of things.”

Flynn went on to say that people all over campus and in the community donated gift cards and goodies to everyone on the bus. 

“One of those gift bags had a golden ticket, and the golden ticket holder was entitled to […] more stuff from the community,” Flynn said. “So, they got over about $250 worth of gift cards and other things.”

Unitrans continues to look for student employees to fill in numerous positions across the organizations, including student drivers, according to Flynn. 

“We’re still about 20% below service levels from before the pandemic,” Flynn said. “There’s been a lot of crowding on the buses this year, and I know that’s made some people not very happy with our service.” 

Flynn described that, in order to help resolve this issue, the unit will need to hire more student drivers to get back to full service.

“We’re still hoping to restore service to pre-pandemic levels,” Flynn said. “[This] will make the service more frequent and more comfortable for everybody.”

Flynn concluded the conversation with the sentiment that students should consider bus driving as a campus job. 

“We thank everyone for their patience this year, and we really encourage people to get there to apply to be a driver or get their friends to apply to be drivers,” Flynn said. “It’s one of the highest-paid jobs on campus.”  

Written by: Sydney Amestoy — campus@theaggie.org

The college town staple takes the crown 

By OLIVIA HOKR — features@theaggie.org

Students at UC Davis have selected Woodstock’s Pizza as the best pizza in Davis, receiving 45.5% of votes in the category. As a popular college town restaurant known for its atmosphere, drinks and most importantly, the pizza, it is no surprise that Woodstock’s is as much of a staple as it is.

In December 2022, Woodstock’s reopened in a new location at 238 G St. The location’s increased size while keeping the same aura as before the move attracts even more college students and Davis locals than ever before. 

Maudi Gloria, the assistant general manager, has been at Woodstock’s for six years. She has admired the community that is brought together by the pizza joint through weekly events and sports games. 

“It’s always so great when there’s a [sports] game,” Gloria said. “We see the same faces. Thursday nights, I know which people are coming in and I know what they’re going to order. I get to see them and check in on them.” 

Gloria shared some of the deals they offer that make it a great option for college students, such as BOGO Mondays, pitcher deals and the student deal. 

Zachary Ardzrooni, a third-year political science major, and frequent customer at Woodstock’s, explained why it has grown to become his favorite spot. 

“Me and my friends would go often for sporting events, but now we just go every Monday because of the weekly deals,” Ardzrooni said. “Woodstock’s captures the college experience and creates a fun time rather than just a typical place to eat.”

Woodstock’s offers a diverse menu with both classic and unique pizzas. A fan favorite, according to Gloria, is the Kickin’ Carnitas, featuring southern chipotle sauce, slow marinated carnitas, crispy bacon, red onions and fresh cilantro. 

“Our Kickin’ Carnitas probably stands out the most,” Gloria said. “Once you have it, you’re like ‘That’s the one I want.’ It’s just such a standout option that you don’t see at a lot of places.”

Woodstock’s is a place you go for the energy and experience and leave with the desire to return, yet again, at least for the pizza. Esther Song, a second-year biological sciences major, went to Woodstock’s for the first time for their weekly trivia night. After trying the Kickin’ Carnitas pizza, she has made it her go-to pizzeria. 

“I was expecting just another pizza restaurant, you know?,” Song said. “I didn’t expect it to become such a significant part of living in Davis. This year I went to Woodstock’s to watch the Super Bowl because I knew it would be fun, and I don’t even like football.” 

Written by: Olivia Hokr — features@theaggie.org

This food truck is popular for its consistent taste and great service

By MAYA KORNYEYEVA — features@theaggie.org 

Shah’s Halal Food, one of the most beloved food trucks on campus (by both students and faculty alike), took the top spot in this year’s “Best of Davis” by a significantly large margin — and it isn’t difficult to see why. 

There are two Shah’s food trucks available for Davis residents, with one parked next to Trader Joe’s on Russell Boulevard and the other on campus, directly next to the Silo. Shah’s is the very first food truck to open on the UC Davis campus (circa 2009) and has been serving students for 15 years. 

This year, practically every time I pass by Rock Hall and the Silo on my way to class, there are students lined up at the front of the truck or walking away with a white takeout box and a smile on their faces. The truck is a bright red, with images of the various meals Shah’s has to offer along with special items and methods of payment — they even take Aggie Cash!

Shah’s Halal Food is hailed consistently as reliable and convenient by students, especially because of their friendly nature and efficient service. When I purchased a bowl of chicken over rice the other day, I was greeted with a friendly “hello,” and my order was finished in less than two minutes after the cashier swiped my card. That’s the type of speed that students tend to cherish, especially when they have another class to speed off to after lunch or a bus home to catch.

The food itself is incredibly delicious. Featuring and elevating Middle Eastern flavors, Shah’s combines strong hot sauce for spice, sour cream for a creamy palette cleanser, shredded lettuce, meat and rice (or pita bread) to create a culinary masterpiece. The value and amount of food is exceptional for the price, and the bowl comes piping hot and aromatic. 

Ultimately, Shah’s Halal Food is a food truck that customers are sure to place among the best for many years to come, due to their “variety of flavorful entrees geared toward both meat-eaters and vegetarians,” according to a past article from The California Aggie about a Shah’s Best of Davis win. Their well-balanced, colorful meals are a perfect way to boost your energy and replenish the nutrients that your body needs. From first-years to fourth-years to alumni — all fervently recommend a trip to this established location.

Written by: Maya Kornyeyeva — features@theaggie.org

The best dispensary in Davis with the best deals

By MI’ZAUNI REESE — features@theaggie.org 

If April 20 means something more to you than just Picnic Day and you’re a fan of getting a good deal, then look no further than F Street Dispensary. Providing recreational as well as medical marijuana products, this dispensary has become a favorite of the UC Davis community, with this year’s Best of Davis survey respondents voting “F Street Dispensary” as the best dispensary in Davis. 

Besides the significant 4/20 sale happening until Picnic Day, F Street Dispensary is known for online deals, great variety and amazing service. Located at 420 F St. in Davis, this dispensary is just a short bike ride away for most students, as it is in Central Davis. With a 9 a.m. opening time, this dispensary is as accommodating to students’ schedules as possible.

To make things more convenient, they allow online orders, as well as deliveries for students who lack the time to shop around in-store. If you do find the time, there are many incentives to visit the physical location, such as a welcome gift for first-timers — usually consisting of a pre-roll or small edible. Additionally, if you show your student ID, you can receive a free pre-roll every time you shop. 

When ordering online, there is always a discount of at least 20%, as well as different BOGO and other deals depending on the store’s inventory. Additionally, the shop allows customers to link their phone number to an account and keep a record of all the products they’ve purchased in case they want to purchase it again. Customers can also link a card to the account and use it to make purchases as the store itself only accepts cash. 

F Street Dispensary is also well-known for its wide variety of inventory. The store has it all: edibles, cartridges, pre-rolls, flower, extract, tincture and even beverages and capsules. If you want it, they’ve got it. 

Not only do they have multiple products, but the shop provides a plethora of brand names both new and old for all types of customers. The products they sell come in fun and fruity flavors for those who are not big fans of marijuana’s pungent smell or taste, as well as classic flavors like Grandaddy Purp for customers who crave that natural and earthy aftertaste. 

The highlight of this dispensary, aside from the price, quality and quantity of products, is the knowledgeable staff. F Street Dispensary makes sure to hire people genuinely interested in the marijuana industry and it shows. The staff are highly informed on all products and will help guide every shopper. 

Employees are trained to know all the statistics in the products such as the THC content and cannabinoid level of their products. To the average marijuana enjoyer, those things may not matter, but to a true cannabis connoisseur, this information is all but essential to making their decision to purchase. 

It is no surprise that with all the F Street Dispensary has to offer, students voted the shop the best dispensary in Davis.

Written by: Mi’Zauni Reese — features@theaggie.org