Dyed Green

We’re wading into new territory this week on Dyed Green, featuring a conversation with writer, editor, public speaker, and world traveler Laurie Woolever. Laurie’s debut memoir, Care & Feeding, which came out last year, covers her life in food and hospitality, her struggles with addiction, and her writing life. The book also delves into her relationships with two of the most prominent chef personalities of the past few decades: Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain, both of whom she collaborated with on writing projects.It’s true—Laurie has not been to Ireland since she was 23! However, this only makes us more excited to be able to feature her as the host of our first memoir writing retreat in West Cork this September.On this week’s show, we speak with Laurie about how the food journalism landscape has changed over the last twenty years; toxic restaurant culture; finding yourself on the page through the craft of memoir; and the lessons she’s learned—and passes on—from the mentorship of Anthony Bourdain. We also discuss what our upcoming retreat will be like, so snag one of the few remaining seats while you can! We can’t wait to show her how much Ireland has changed, and to create new stories with you this autumn.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

adrienne and Autumn are joined by Kate McCabe (Founder and Executive Director of Bog & Thunder), Max Sussman (Culinary Director of Bog & Thunder) and Dwight Dunston (facilitator, hip-hop artist, educator, and activist) to chronicle and celebrate their majestic time on a private island in the wilds of West Cork for a writing workshop unlike any other.Writing the Next World is a space to ideate, experiment with genre, and find a writing voice that creates more possibilities for our collective future, all while exploring the beautiful Connemara countryside and eating outstanding food.The event is rooted in the lineages of visionary and speculative fiction and Black Feminist Praxis.The next one is coming up JULY 5TH - JULY 10TH. APPLY HERE!---Listen to WRITING THE NEXT WORLD: the album by duns---Max's Egg Salad Recipe!6 eggs40 gm celery, diced20 gm pickles, diced60 gm mayo30 gm red onion, diced2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped2 scallions, slicedPinch MSGplenty of salt and pepper1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and start a 10 minute timer, keep eggs at a low boil the entire time. 2. After 10 minute timer goes off, place eggs in ice bath until cool.3. Chop eggs or break up with gloved hands. 4. Mix with remaining ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste.---⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TRANSCRIPT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Known throughout Ireland and well beyond as the matriarch of Irish cuisine, Darina Allen is a powerhouse in the Irish food community. Since opening the first farm-to-table culinary education program at Ballymaloe Cookery School with her brother Rory O’Connell in 1983, Darina has gone on to publish more than twenty cookbooks and has presented nine seasons of the television show Simply Delicious (as well as other programs). Rather than take a retirement when she turned 75 two years ago, Darina decided to open a Farm School to teach students about sustainable food production and consumption.On this week’s show, we speak with Darina about creating the holistic curriculum at the cookery school; how the typical Irish diet has changed since 1983; and her involvement in reinvigorating Irish farmer’s markets. We also discuss the dangers of ultra processed foods and their relationship to our growing health crisis, as well as how we might continue to influence people to eat healthier, environmentally safe foods. We are beyond thrilled to welcome the one and only Darina Allen to this week’s show.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

We really get in there with our guest on this week’s show, Cormac McGinley. Cormac runs walking tours along the Cliffs of Moher and all over the Burren in County Clare, one of our favorite places in Ireland. Name an -ology and Cormac probably studied it, and he brings his love of science to his love of Ireland with him on every walk he leads.On this episode, we speak with Cormac about really getting to know a place deeply; ecological wrong turns and the unnatural Irish landscape; the impact of consumer culture and how to separate needs from wants; and how he is working on building a life so that if tourism vanishes, he can still live in his favorite place. Much like our previous guests, Cormac also imparts some valuable life advice: “Time is all we have, so retain a sense of humor and try not to be a dick.”Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

We had the honor of hosting acclaimed pizza chef Reggie White for his first ever podcast interview! If you thought our bread-focused episodes were intense, just wait until you hear Max and Reggie nerd out about everything from water quality to hydration to milling grains on this week’s episode.Fresh from the recent opening of his Rathmines spot Reggies, we talked to the Ballymaloe alum about finding work that sparks joy; using ingredients that make you happy so the food tastes better; and the problems associated with restaurants that look at pizza as just the pathway to a high profit margin. For all the pizza nerds out there, we also discussed whether New York City really does have the best water for making pizza, the strengths of different varieties of flour, and an issue called “off-gassing,” which isn’t really as bad as it sounds. In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, Max and Reggie also agreed that using nicer s**t is the secret to good pizza.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

In 2013, artist Jennie Moran started an art project at National College of Art & Design in Dublin in the form of a college canteen called Luncheonette. Guided by Moran’s vision of “ghostis,” her curation of the canteen, nourishing food, and—with the support of NCAD—Luncheonette became a food destination in the city, won awards, and created a convivial community space that lasted for ten long years. Her new book, How To Soften Corners, celebrates the success of Luncheonette and highlights Moran’s refreshing philosophy of hospitality.On this episode, we speak with Jennie about how food can be used to diffuse the pressure of a shared space; the limits of understanding hospitality as providing the best customer experience; planning a menu that cares for the guest holistically; and nurturing our instinct to welcome strangers rather than giving in to the suspicion of people we don’t know.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Did you know that Ireland requires developers to have an archaeologist on hand when breaking ground on a new site? Or that Irish feasts in medieval times often featured professional farters alongside musicians as part of the evening entertainment? On this week’s episode, Max & Kate travel back and forth across time with archaeologist Neil Jackman, co-founder of Abarta Heritage.We speak with Neil about the impact of the economic crash on archaeologists; how to get people to value heritage sites in order to ensure their protection; food as existence; the relationship between folklore and archaeology in our reverence for ancient sites; and the role that archaeology played in developing Ireland’s sense of self after independence.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

The experience of going for a pint in Ireland is more than a rite of passage, it’s a cultural institution. This week on Dyed Green, we speak with writer, journalist, and events producer Ali Dunworth about her book A Compendium of Irish Pints: The Culture, Customs, and Craic. Ali found her way into the world of food & drink via a stint in tv production in London, before pivoting to write about food full-time and organize festivals in Ireland.On this week’s episode, we talk to Ali about her encyclopedia of pints, from the deep & meaningful to birthday pints and more. We also discuss how to poor a proper pint; expectations for buying a round at a pub; old man pubs; and how Guinness came through for pub drinkers during Covid. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

After a bit of a break, Dyed Green is back with a conversation with Paula McIntyre, a chef, writer, and broadcaster and the director of Slow Food Northern Ireland, based in Portstewart in County Derry. Paula’s passion for cooking began at the age of 8, when she visited an Italian deli in Edinburgh, where she had a formative experience with parmesan cheese and Parma ham. As luck would have it, Kate met Paula at a market in Rome while crying and eating pizza. Chef Paula McIntyre thinks chefs waste too much time trying to make something fancy that would taste better if it were more simply prepared: “You're not going to end up with anything in three hours that you wouldn't have ended up with in two minutes.” On today’s episode, we discuss Paula’s enduring love affair with turnip tops and Red Cow parmesan, attending culinary school in the United States, and following the food journey of Ulster Scots immigrants along the Appalachian trail. Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Ireland, like many places around the world, is in the grips of a housing crisis. Many young people are living with their parents far into adulthood and being told that home ownership may not be within their financial reach. What if there was an alternative to meeting the salary requirements for a bank loan and incurring a huge debt to pay for a mortgage? Our guest on this week’s show, Harrison Gardner, may just have some ideas for you. Harrison is the author of Build Your Own: Use what you have to create what you need, and a co-founder of the Clare-based Common Knowledge, a social enterprise focused on teaching people the skills they need to build sustainable housing from the ground up.On this episode, we speak with Harrison about empowering people to use tools for the first time; the importance of making mistakes; the integral role of food in community projects; and how joy, hope, & possibility are key ingredients in any and all efforts to build toward our common future. Tune in for this truly inspiring and motivational conversation and be prepared to want to put on a hard hat when it’s done!Photo courtesy of Erin McClure.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Having too much or too little salt can make or break a dish, and as chefs know all too well, even the variety of salt used can dramatically impact flavors. Salt is a seasoning that we consume every day and is necessary for life, but how much do we know about its contemporary production? Although typically associated with warmer climates, Dingle Sea Salt co-founders Tom Leach & Moe McKeown have created a small batch Irish sea salt that not only rivals their Mediterranean competition, but is made in the most environmentally sound way possible.For our first episode of 2024, we speak with Tom & Moe about their love of surfing and its relationship to salt production; how it’s possible to use solar evaporation to make salt in an Irish climate; and why it’s important to grow their business thoughtfully, with intention and care for the natural world.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Social media has been abuzz these past few weeks as the world tries to come to terms with the abundance of creative talent bursting forth from Ireland, from literary greats like Paul Lynch, whose Prophet Song just won the Booker, to actors like Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, and Barry Keoghan, who continue to dominate the silver screen. As the pundits continue to pontificate, we’re here to tell you that Ireland’s verdant climate, political history, and nourishment of the arts creates the conditions where bards can grow in every corner of society.Case in point: Our guest this week is a poet who might not even know it: Pat Whelan, of James Whelan Butchers, is a man whose passion for farming, the craft of butchery, and using the whole animal has led him to become Ireland’s foremost butcher, and the co-author of the best-selling Irish Beef Book, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.On this week’s episode, we speak with Pat about growing up on a family farm and being inspired by his hard-working parents; how important the role of a local butcher is to connecting stewardship for the land to our tables; how the food industry should take lessons from the wine world with regard to cherishing and promoting meat; and much, much more.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe

Chef Paul Cunningham, based in Dundrum, County Down, walks the walk like no chef we’ve ever met before. The owner of “slow food fast food” Scopers in Dundrum Village and the upscale pop-up Mourne Larder, Cunningham sources all of his food from within a 15 mile radius and never sets foot in a grocery store. His business model puts his ethos into practice in a way we’ve never seen, and he’s successfully bridging the gap between consumers and thoughtfully grown, regenerative food at affordable price points—all while shining a spotlight on the Mournes where he was raised and creating insanely delicious, Michelin quality cuisine.We spoke to Paul about what ethical sourcing looks like in practice; making local, sustainable food approachable & affordable food for the average diner; how chefs have a responsibility to be stewards of the land; secret dining; and the limits of growth for a successful business.Photo courtesy of Paul Cunningham.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. Get full access to Sunwise at katemccabe.substack.com/subscribe