Regarded as one of the South’s best, Chef John Currence made a name for himself in the early 1990s when he opened City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi. Today the City Grocery Restaurant Group also includes Bouré, Snack Bar, and the fast-growing chain Big Bad Breakfast.
I sat down with Chef Currence in his Oxford home on a fall evening to chat about all things Southern, including the hospitality industry, his favorite dishes, SEC football, and bourbon. A Louisiana native, Currence was named the Best Chef South in 2009 by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. He also won the Charleston Wine and Food Festival’s Iron Chef Challenge that same year.
Advocating For Others Without a Voice
Currence cares about many things. However, he feels a responsibility to speak for those without a voice. Disinfrashined restaurant workers rise to the top. “People used to warn me about speaking out for the LGBT community,” he explained. “They said I would lose too much business. But in reality, I don’t want business from those who discriminate against any racial, ethnic, or sexual-identity group.” Radical isn’t the proper adjective for the talented restaurateur. Passionate, committed, and caring describe him completely.
John Currence isn’t shy about speaking up and out on behalf of those without a voice.
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Growing up in and around New Orleans, Chef John Currence developed his palate early. Both parents loved food, allowing their children to sample foods from the various Louisana regions. Currence also spent some of his formative years living in Europe, where his palate became exposed to even more foods.
It may surprise some that this award-winning chef didn’t attend or graduate with a culinary degree. As hard as he tried, Currence didn’t excel academically, admitting his short attention span didn’t produce stellar grades. Most of the culinary programs he considered were willing to accept him based on his experiences. Currence also realized he could learn as much or more about cooking by working alongside other accomplished chefs. Plus, he could earn a paycheck.
Charleston to New Orleans to Oxford
“My culinary career began the day after I graduated high school,” Currence recalled. “I found himself cooking for men on a tug boat. With no formal training whatsoever, the lead cook handed me a copy of the Joy of Cooking, and I was off. “His best advice was, ‘Don’t screw up the rice or the coffee, and you’ll be fine.'”
Although he didn’t finish, the novice cook spent some time in college, where a love of music competed for his attention. Currence, a lead singer, and his band signed with a small Chapel Hill label. By chance, he landed at Crooks Corner, a restaurant receiving rave reviews. A New York Times article featured owner Bill Neal, whose pimento cheese, collards, and cornbread gained widespread notoriety.
Talking about many classic southern dishes led to asking the proverbial question, “What is Southern food?”
“Southern food is the black community’s soul food that has most of its roots in the slave areas of Western Africa, meaning ingredients and dishes,” said Currence. “Okra, sweet potatoes, peanuts; a litany of things came across the ocean. Many southern dishes are stewed and can be eaten for several days without compromising the vegetable.”
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When combined with other ethnic groups, many ingredients and recipes found their way into the South’s rural culture, which we know today as “Southern cooking.”
Currence did confess his love for Eastern Carolina barbeque, causing me to swallow hard, trying my best to defend “Memphis-style” barbeque as a superior barbeque style. I also knew better than to debate a world-class chef on any cooking method.
Creating a Southern Culinary Capitol
No John Currence interview wouldn’t be complete without asking what makes Oxford, Mississippi, a culinary capital. At 26, the ambitious young chef set his sights on a small college town just east of the Mississippi Delta. Among others, culinary writer Steve Spurrier (not to be confused with the former SEC coach) wrote articles proclaiming the wonders of shrimp and grits.
It’s no surprise that the most popular dish at City Grocery is Currence’s shrimp and grits version. “We give the recipe to anyone that asks,” admitted Currence. “We’re also accused of withholding a so-called ‘secret ingredient.’ We don’t withhold anything, but technique, temperature, among other things, create great dishes.”
Countless reviews later, mostly hovering around the “stellar” category, have placed Oxford alongside Charleston, Atlanta, and Nashville, as a top Southern culinary destination. Snack Bar, Bouré, and Big Bad Breakfast, all fall under the City Grocery umbrella.
Currence maintains that the future of Southern cooking still revolves around incorporating new ethnic techniques and styles. After Hurricane Katrina devastated much of New Orleans, he witnessed a recurrence of food trucks that fed many during the many months of rebuilding. Asian influences also dot the Southern food scene. “Indian and Middle Eastern food plays a large role in our cooking styles today,” noted Currence between sips of a stellar Kentucky bourbon. “We’ll continue to see an explosion of these techniques. Heck, I’m hoping for a recurrence in hot dogs!”
Growing a Culinary Bug
Fine dining restaurants and a fast-growing breakfast chain leave little time for other endeavors. However, pizza is a new challenge. Currence and his partners are interested in growing an Arkansas pizza restaurant. Something tells me Currence has other culinary ideas in his future. “I have too many ideas. I’ll be a pain in the ass to the restaurant industry for many years.”
His three cookbooks are Tailgreat, Big Bad Breakfast, and Pickles, Pigs, & Whiskey.
Special Episode Notes
My travel to Oxford on the day of our interview presented many challenges. Chef Currence and I were originally scheduled to record this episode early Friday afternoon in the bar above City Grocery. Realizing that I wouldn’t arrive in Oxford until after 5 p.m., my gracious guest suggested we could record in his home. Sitting at the kitchen island in an award-winning chef’s home was an honor, only eclipsed by the wonderful and gracious hospitality of the entire Currence family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.