Chef John Currence receives State Tourism Investment Award.
From the Article: “Founder of City Grocery Restaurant Group, Currence has placed Oxford on the map as a premier culinary destination. Since he opened his first restaurant, City Grocery, on the historic Oxford Square more than 20 years ago, Currence continues to gain recognition by numerous publishers such as Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bon Appetit.”
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Thrillist.com recently mentioned Bouré, City Grocery, and Snackbar in their list of Best College Towns in America for Food and Drink.
From the article: “Towering football stadium. Iconic town square. Population that doubles when class is in session and swells much higher on fall Saturdays. Oxford checks off all the boxes of a stereotypical Southern college town. But with John Currence’s James Beard restaurants and its wealth of old-school Southern cooking, it brings far more to the table than kegs and legions of Saturday pop-up grills.”
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VisitSouth.com recently listed Big Bad Breakfast in their article about the Best Classic Southern Cuisine (and Places to Find it).
From the article: “A really good biscuit, whether it’s slathered with butter and honey, or stuffed with slices of country ham or crisp fried chicken, is a delicacy, and there are plenty of places that serve them up hot, fluffy, and delicious. Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford, Mississippi, is one, especially when you order your biscuit smothered in sausage gravy.”
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OXFORD, MS – August 27, 2015– Local Oxford restaurateur and resident Chef John Currence announced today the formation of a non-profit foundation aimed at inspiring and funding educational initiatives for Mississippi youth, specifically in the areas of health, well-being, nutrition and physical activity.
“Move on Up Foundation was created because as the nation’s leading state in the ongoing and growing obesity epidemic, we believe that targeting youth and providing the tools and education to understand that they can help stem the onset of this condition is paramount in the struggle to change their future. The foundation will work with local, municipal and state agencies to help implement programming to help children grow to a healthier future in Mississippi,” says Currence
The foundation’s core leadership team includes Chef John Currence, Chef Kelly English, John T. Edge, Dr. Mac Nichols, Dr. Dan Jones, Lisa Howorth, Jay Hughes, Robyn Tannehill and Ross Bjork. This team will soon expand to include leaders in other disciplines. “Wrestling with bureaucracy and trying to change the way some very dug in people look at education will be an immense challenge,” Currence recognizes, “so we have tried to assemble some of the best minds and spirited hearts we can to help initialize our efforts. I am extremely flattered these folks have signed on to be part of this effort.”
“If we can help just one child commit to living a healthy lifestyle through our efforts in this foundation, we will have accomplished something great. Mississippi has provided me with a wonderful opportunity in my career and I could not be more proud of what my team has built in Oxford. We have always believed in giving back to our community comes along with success, now we want to take greater strides and help the entire state move forward into a happier, healthier and more prosperous future. I am sick and tired of being at the bottom of every list that is published. We deserve better, but it is going to take work to crawl out of the place we are in. That is what we want to be part of helping inspire. It’s time to Move On Up.” said Currence.
The Move on Up Foundation will host its inaugural fundraising event sometime in early 2016. The weekend long fund-raiser will feature multiple events. A Friday night welcome reception will be followed Saturday morning with a 5K Freeze-Your-Butt-Off-For-Fitness fun run. Saturday afternoon a program with a nationally-known speaker will precede renowned chefs from around the country cooking dinner parties at private homes in Oxford. The intimate dinners will each seat no more than 12 guests, and will feature menu items inspired by each chef’s respective restaurant. Following the private dinners, there will be a ticketed after-hours reception with cocktails, desserts, and live music for up to 200 guests.
“Fundraisers are a peculiar beast,” notes Currence, “They frequently target only a certain stripe of the population. This is a universal charity we are trying to organize. We want to lay the foundation for a better Mississippi for our children. It is something that everyone should be able to participate in, so we are organizing multiple events that folks can build a weekend however they like in this beautiful town and give something to help the children of our state.”
The Move On Up Foundation is made possible through an ongoing partnership with our friends at the Yalobusha Brewing Company. More information, including mission statement, board member bios, news, events and contact information will be available at MoveOnUpMS.com. The site is currently under construction.
Sports Illustrated Senior writer, Andy Staples, recently featured Lamar Lounge in his “What’s Andy Eating?” column on SI.com. Thanks, Andy!
From the article:
“I have paid John Currence several compliments in this space, but none soar higher than this one: I have no idea what kind of sauces Currence offers at Lamar Lounge.
I’m fairly certain the whole-hog barbecue joint the James Beard Award-winning chef added to his Oxford, Miss., restaurant empire in 2012 does serve sauce. I seem to remember sauce on the table, but I can’t be sure because I don’t remember touching it. The best barbecue requires little or no sauce. Cook it properly, and no one mentions condiments. At Lamar Lounge, my pulled pork sandwich and most of my fried okra were devoured before I even gave a passing thought to accompaniment.”
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Lamar Lounge is one of three Mississippi barbecue joints to make Garden & Gun’s Barbecue Bucket List!
Check out this comprehensive guide to 50 incredible barbecue restaurants below the Mason-Dixon line, and start planning your next road trip.
ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore, the studio host for the SEC Network’s SEC Nation and ESPN’s College Football Final, recently named Big Bad Breakfast one of three absolute must-eats in the SEC. Thanks, Joe!
From the article:
• BBB in Oxford, Mississippi: John Currence is a remarkable chef. One of my favorite guys to have a drink with. Everybody loves his hot spot City Grocery near Ole Miss but my choice is to head to his strip mall hidden gem Big Bad Breakfast . I know breakfast is in the name but go there for dinner. Two rules at BBB. First, order any dish that includes his house-cured bacon. It’s rubbed with the excess pepper sludge from the original Tabasco plant. And the second rule I have at BBB is to order extra homemade pork terrine. Yes, that’s correct, spreadable pork. You dip a butter knife into a mason jar of pork. I repeat, pork you can spread! ‘Nuf said.
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Full-Service Restaurants has named City Grocery one of its Top 100 Independents! We’re honored to be included on this list of outstanding independent restaurants across the country.
Check out the full list here, and make plans to visit some of these culinary destinations.
City Grocery Restaurant Group owner Chef John Currence was recently featured in SoFAB Magazine for his role in revolutionizing the Southern culinary scene.
From the article:
Chef Robert St John in Hattiesburg and Chef Alex Perry in Ocean Springs are great examples, but the lead dog in this hunt seems to be Chef John Currence in Oxford. Born in Louisiana, he was first schooled in his mother’s kitchen, then as a deck hand and cook on a tug boat. This was followed by the University of North Carolina, and several years in Europe, and a dozen other small steps leading to Gautreau’s in New Orleans. But his feet finally landed in Oxford, Mississippi, and although he strays occasionally, that university town seems to have him well rooted.
Chef Currence is bright, articulate, and involved on just as many levels as he can be. I had the chance to spend a little time with him recently and our conversation was all over the place. He sees the need for better quality restaurants — and food — and quotes the changing statistics of dining out, the cost of food, and more like a stock broker assessing a portfolio. But it’s not rote memory, he is describing the things that he cares about deeply, things he is involved with everyday and about which he is very, very passionate.
Bantam + Biddy will be hosting Big Bad Pop-Ups in Atlanta, GA on May 29th. Co-hosted by CGRG’s very own Chef John Currence and featuring Chef Vishwesh Bhatt. Proceeds from the event benefit The Giving Kitchen and The Piedmont School. Grab your tickets today by visiting atlfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.