News

The Oxford Eagle published an article featuring an interview with Chef John Currence discussing New Year’s Day traditions revolving around food.

From the article: “John Currence, chef and owner of the City Grocery Restaurant group, said growing up his family even took cooking greens a step further for good luck. “The traditional foods are cabbage and greens, that as I understood were to bring prosperity in the new year. Black-eyed peas were meant to bring luck in the coming year.””

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VacationIdea.com named Big Bad Breakfast in their list of 15 Best Things to See & Do in Oxford, MS.

From the article: “Even if you have never been a breakfast person, you will probably become one after you try what Big Bad Breakfast has to offer.”

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In December, Sam Sifton told readers “What to Cook This Week,” suggesting John Currence’s recipe for Coca-Cola Brined Fried Chicken in NYT Cooking.

From the article: “We’ll be frying chicken for that, in accordance with John Currence’s awesome recipe and eating it on the couch with a big bowl of Julia Moskin’s crusty mac and cheese.”

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Condé Nast Traveler features Snackbar’s Big Bad Manhattan in their Global Cocktail of the Week Feature.

From the article: “Snackbar’s creative beverage team frequently goes DIY, infusing liquors and bittering agents to broaden their playlist. To make the Big Bad Manhattan, Snackbar beverage director Drew Stevens created homemade bitters using freshly frizzled bacon snagged from the BBB pantry. And since this is a John Currence kitchen, there’s no such thing as basic bacon. This is tabasco and brown sugar bacon.”

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TheCultureTrip.com named Big Bad Breakfast in their list of The 12 Best Diners in Southern States.

From the article: “Breakfast is the most important meal, and Big Bad Breakfast will certainly ensure that you look forward to it. Offering a large variety of breakfast foods, all of which come in substantial portions, their skillets are particularly popular, but definitely require you to bring a big appetite.”

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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.