Food as Community || Collaboration || Dates Set for Galway Tour
“Everything worthwhile is done with others.”
-Moussa Kaba
Last week, Max and I re-started our weekly artisanal pizza pop-up, @PizzaReplicator, out of Roos Roast, an Ann Arbor coffee shop owned by our long-time friends, John and Kath Roos. Like many of us stuck at home became more serious bakers during lockdown, Max spent a lot of his down time perfecting his sourdough pizza crust.
We started doing the pop-ups out of Roos Roast around February of last year, and continued them weekly apart from a brief hiatus at the end of the summer. For Max, it was a departure from his private cheffing gig, an opportunity to experiment and cook for fun; for me, it was a chance to get out of the house, and sometimes the nearest thing to a social engagement, as I got to hand people their pizzas and say a brief hello and thank you. In a year where we couldn’t spend time with friends or family, it made a big difference.
This past Sunday, I was reminded of one of my favorite parts of working in the food industry when a friend of ours brought in a massive box of several different types of mushrooms--a gift from another local chef. The spirit of generosity, of giving, of paying it forward is one of the best and most unique parts of working in the restaurant industry. That spirit is alive and well in Ann Arbor, and starting the pizza pop-up during the pandemic has allowed us to collaborate and build relationships with other folks in the food community here. Going to visit Tammie (and her sweet pups!) down the road at Tamchop Farm to pick up peppers was a highlight of the week for the whole family throughout the summer; there, we made a new friend who gave us some homemade hot sauce that featured on one of our weekly pies. Another bright light was the camaraderie between pop-up chefs; not only do we visit and support other pop-ups around time, we sometimes join forces. My favorite was the Pizza Replicator/Basil Babe collab that featured a Red Curry chicken pizza and Thai dumplings, held on our back porch in the rain!
Max and Tammie Gilfoyle pose with a farmers market pie @pizzareplicator at Roos Roast this summer.
Max and Tammie Gilfoyle pose with a farmers market pie @pizzareplicator at Roos Roast this summer.
Food, and the community built through the sharing of food, is what has kept us in the restaurant industry for all this time, and was part of our inspiration for starting Bog & Thunder. Our first Guiding Principle is “food is the lens through which we view our work,” and this should come as no surprise to anyone who has worked with us. We believe:
Food represents ritual, culture, and communication; it is a marker of change and the passage of time; it is a way to expand our knowledge of the world, and a way to communicate with others. We recognize that our food comes from the earth, and nourishes our bodies and souls and that we need to nourish the Earth in return. We are a part of the food system which connects farmers, artisans, eaters, and everything in between.
Max and I decided early on that we wanted to approach the organization of our tours collaboratively, and you’ll see this reflected in each of the eight trips we have planned for 2022. We see ourselves as connectors between travelers and the community of Irish chefs, artisans, producers, and all of those we will meet on our tours. While we do help to shape the narrative of food and sustainability through our carefully curated itineraries, those most directly involved are the best storytellers. We want you to feel like you’re part of the community we’re building, too.
We are delighted to share that almost all of our co-hosts are women, and you’ll find everyone’s bio on the Partners page of our website. We are thrilled to be co-hosts of Zingerman’s Food Tours first-ever Ireland tours, alongside Managing Partner Kristie Brablec; together we will run two consecutive tours of the southern loop of Ireland in the fall. Our other partners are:
Chef Jess Murphy, owner of Kai Restaurant, co-host of Welcome to the West
Jeni Glasgow & Reuven Diaz, place + place, co-hosts of Megalithic Gastronomic
Claire Davey, America Village Apothecary, co-host of Lughnasa
Lorcan McBride, Far & Wild, co-host of The Great Outdoors
Sally Barnes, Woodcock Smokery, co-host of Wild West Cork
Clare McQuillan, chef & forager, co-host of The North
Maisie Wilhelm, Palatine Culinary Concierge, Outreach & Strategic Partnerships
The quote at the beginning of this post comes from the father of a New York-based organizer and educator named Mariame Kaba whose work to end violence is underpinned by that lesson from her father. Kaba is the author of the recently-published New York Times bestselling book, ‘We Do This ‘Til We Free Us’. In her forward to the book, political scientist Naomi Murakawa reflects Moussa Kaba’s sentiment beautifully: “Why be a star when you can make a constellation?
We are so looking forward to creating a constellation with you, the Irish food community, and Bog & Thunder! We’ve just listed the dates for our Welcome to the West tour of Galway & Connemara with Jess Murphy: June 21st to 26th, 2022. They’ll go on sale by the end of this week.
What We’re Reading:
Kate: I’ve just started a debut short story collection called Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So. I’m loving it so far; the stories are all about Cambodian-Americans living in California. Unfortunately, So died unexpectedly before his first book came out, so it is a bittersweet experience to be enjoying the writing so much while knowing that I can’t look forward to more work from this author.
Max: I’m in between books at the moment and open to recommendations!
What We’re Listening To:
Kate: I’m one of those people who tried to stay as busy and productive as possible as a way of getting through lockdown. In addition to building Bog & Thunder and supervising our son’s Zoom kindergarten, I also wrote a screenplay! (Hey, at least I waited until I left Brooklyn!) I’ve just begun my second draft, and I recently found out about The Screenwriting Life podcast with Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna. My MO when I find a new podcast is to go back to the very beginning and listen to the episodes in order, so I’ve been slowly working my way through their back catalog. I’m really enjoying it, and highly recommend it for all writers, as there is so much practical advice and tips that apply to folks outside of film & TV.
Max: I’ve been listening to the Odd Lots podcast. I have found that learning about the global economy and the unexpected ways that we are all interconnected helps inform our work and perspective from new angles!