GUIDED BY EXPERTS IN IRISH FOODWAYS, WE CREATE MEANINGFUL & MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.
BOG & THUNDER’S STORY
We create one-of-a-kind, transformative guided tours of Ireland centered on food, craft, and sustainability.
Bog & Thunder is a regenerative travel & tourism company highlighting the best of Irish food & culture. We offer bespoke food tours & curated culinary experiences; pop-up events & retreats; wedding concierge services; and brand activation and co-branding partnerships.
We redefine the way travelers view Ireland by celebrating the artisans, chefs, farmers, and makers whose craft is making the island the next big destination for food lovers from around the world. Bog & Thunder experiences are ideal for visitors who are curious, environmentally conscious, and eager to venture off the beaten path.
Throughout our years of travel in Ireland, we’ve tasted incredible whiskey, learned how to smoke wild salmon, foraged for wild plants, harvested and eaten seaweed, and so much more. We founded Bog & Thunder to share these experiences and our love of Irish food and artisan culture.
KATE MCCABE
FOUNDER & CEO
Kate has spent the last twenty years immersed in food, Irish politics, and the environment. Both sides of Kate’s family hail from Ireland (Tullamore & Belfast), and she has traveled extensively throughout the country. Kate is the guiding force behind Bog & Thunder’s commitment to sustainability, and has multiple degrees in environmental policy, including a master’s degree in environmental justice from the University of Michigan.
Kate’s food and hospitality experience ranges from working on an organic farm and studying sustainable agriculture in Cuba, to working at a number of top hotels and restaurants in New York City, including The Breslin, The John Dory, the Ace Hotel, and the Wythe Hotel.
In addition to co-hosting the podcast Dyed Green with Max, Kate is also a writer (working on her first book!) and the founder of a creative arts & peacebuilding organization called Éist.
MAX SUSSMAN
CULINARY DIRECTOR
Max is an award-winning chef and restaurateur who has published four cookbooks. Max grew up cooking organic food at a summer camp in western Michigan, before moving on to work at the beloved Zingerman’s Deli and later as the Chef de Cuisine at eve in Ann Arbor.
After moving to New York, Max worked at the Michelin-starred The Breslin, before moving to Roberta’s. Max was chef-de-cuisine at the renowned pizzeria when it received two stars from the New York Times. While there, he also secured a James Beard nomination and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Award. In 2015 Max and his brother Eli founded Samesa, a Middle-Eastern inspired, fast-casual restaurant and catering company in midtown Manhattan.
Max has cooked and traveled extensively, learning the cuisine of Japan, Spain, Chile, India and more, before being swept away by Ireland.
Max moonlights as the culinary director of the Dixboro House in Ann Arbor and is also the chef behind Pizza Replicator and Bev’s Bagels, pop-ups run out of a microbakery in the family home.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We believe food to be the best way to learn about a place, and Irish food is unexpectedly delicious. Through food, we create memories and meaning.
The best experiences come from collaboration. That’s why we work closely with our Irish partners to design our trips from the ground up.
In Ireland today, a new generation of makers, chefs, and artisans are thinking about food in exciting new ways: merging Irish traditional foods with immigrant culture.
TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
