California Avocados: A Delicious History a talk by Rob Crisell

Avocados were first introduced to California in 1871 when Judge R.B. Ord planted three seedling trees from Mexico in Santa Barbara, sparking a century-long love affair that transformed California into “Avocado Land.” Twenty-four years later, Kinton Stevens established the nation’s first commercial avocado orchard in Montecito. These early efforts laid the foundation for California's avocado industry, which now supplies about 90% of the U.S. crop. In his latest book, California Avocados: A Delicious History, author Rob Crisell explores how California’s favorite fruit became one of the most famous and iconic foods of the twenty-first century.