Chef John Currence
Co-owner of City Grocery in Oxford Mississippi.

Brad: Welcome Chef.

Brad: Some introductory comments chef?

Chef John Currence: Sure, I was raised as a native NOLA kid, and stumbled into the restaurant business in North Carolina.

Chef John Currence: My mom was on the original opening crew of Gautreau's in New Orleans.

Chef John Currence: The restaurant was owned by one of her good friends.

Chef John Currence: I spent a lot of time with my mom in the kitchen as a kid.

Chef John Currence: When I got to UNC, out of sheer desperation, I got into the restaurant business...

Chef John Currence: As a bus boy!

Chef John Currence: Immediately fired for lack of social skills,

Chef John Currence: But managed to redeem myself as a dishwasher.

Chef John Currence: The chef at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill.

Chef John Currence: Inspired me. A real, guru of southern cooking, Bill Neal.

Chef John Currence: In my spare time from washing dishes, he ended up taking me under his wing.

Brad: How did that happen?

Chef John Currence: I was always asking to help.

Brad: Then you came back to New Orleans?

Chef John Currence: After three years as kitchen manager at Crooks.

Chef John Currence: After my stint as the disher, I became the Sous Chef.

Brad: Sous Chef? Please explain...

Chef John Currence: Just the French Term for assistant chef.

Chef John Currence: I eventually took on a 2nd job Aurora in Chapel Hill...

Chef John Currence: White linen, fine dining.

Chef John Currence: I moved home to New Orleans in the late 80's.

Chef John Currence: Invited to come back by a friend who was reopening Gautreaus.

Chef John Currence: Mark Selman, the chef there, coerced me to come back.

Chef John Currence: Head Chef and owner.

Brad: What happened next?

Chef John Currence: Mark solidified my convictions to go into the restaurant business myself.

Chef John Currence: I was toying with Law School or other things, but realized this was what I really wanted to do.

Chef John Currence: Working at Gautreau with close childhood friend, Palmer Adams,

Chef John Currence: Who is ultimately the man who told me about Oxford, Ms.

Chef John Currence: I then I came there, 4 years later.

Chef John Currence: I also worked for the Brennan family at Mr. B's in New Orleans, before coming to Oxford.

CourtB: I love Mr B's!

Chef John Currence: After a while with them, I decided I was ready to break out on my own.

Brad: City Grocery?

Chef John Currence: And then City Grocery fell in my lap.

Brad: What did you think about Oxford?

Chef John Currence: My first impression of Oxford was exciting...

Chef John Currence: A surrogate Chapel Hill for me, a vibrant college town.

Chef John Currence: And there was no ambitious fine dining in Oxford, and I felt I really had something to offer.

Chef John Currence: When you find a good location, that's crying out for something you've got, then you've just got to go.

Nedsta256: You're a native New Orleanian - How has that informed your style at City Grocery?

Chef John Currence: Well...

Chef John Currence: I suppose as a lover of my home,

Chef John Currence: I'll never escape the food I was brought up with.

Chef John Currence: By virtue of the fact that my training was in classical French and Italian food, and my desire to explore all cuisines of the world, I don't think I'll ever be tagged as a Creole style "only" chef.

Chef John Currence: But these influences creep in to the food we do.

Brad: Any Creole dishes on the menu?

Chef John Currence: Our menu changes every 6-7 weeks.

Chef John Currence: We're not tied to any specific ethnic menu.

Chef John Currence: I like to do a little of everything.

Chef John Currence: I add local ingredients to oriental dishes... And certainly creole ingredients find there way into the menu as well.

Chef John Currence: Right now we've got a dish with Andouille, and Louisiana Wild Rice...

Anne: John, will you convert your Shrimp & Grits recipe to yield 100 so I can serve the SAEs here on campus???

Chef John Currence: Anne, come see me.

Chef John Currence: I'll help you multiply it up, anytime.

Chef John Currence: I really does convert directly from the recipe thats online.

Alecv: I lived in Chapel Hill for 4 years... Where did you cook there?

Chef John Currence: Crooks Corner and Aurora restaurants.

Alecv: I ate at both of those places!

CourtB: How do you get your grits the right consistency?

Chef John Currence: First of all.

Chef John Currence: It starts with being raised in the south.

Chef John Currence: If you can't cook fresh grits by instinct, then you need to visit the South.

Guest183: What is your favorite restaurant in New Orleans?

Chef John Currence: In New Orleans, when I head home, I go straight for the Acme Oyster House.

Chef John Currence: Or Cooter Brown's for their oyster bar.

Chef John Currence: If I want a fine meal.

Chef John Currence: And go out, you will have a tough time finding a better meal than at Brigtson's or Anne Kerny at Peristyle.

Chef John Currence: Anne is a wonderful friend of mine.

Chef John Currence: Frank Brigtson is a tremendous guy.

CourtB: In your opinion, how are classical french and deep southern american cuisine most different?

Chef John Currence: Beside the obvious geographical difference?

Chef John Currence: Deep Southern Cooking is very different as it is structured for the more immediate gratification of the Southern consumer.

Chef John Currence: The french are much more willing to wait for their food, while folks want their fried chicken, now!

Chef John Currence: Southerners have a real passion for food, but aren't nearly as particular as the French.

Chef John Currence: Equally strong desires, but the French take it a heck of a lot more seriously that we do.

Nedsta256: Oxford is kind of "land locked..." Do y'all do fresh seafood specials?

Chef John Currence: We're actually seafood strong.

Chef John Currence: With the development of the transportation industry we can get fish as fresh in Oxford as you can in New Orleans.

Chef John Currence: I buy from a dock in Hawaii, as well as Beaumont, Tx, New York and Atlanta.

Nedsta256: Say, Chef, can Starkville Bulldogs come eat at your restaurant?

Chef John Currence: Ha ha.

Chef John Currence: Let me think.

Chef John Currence: Absolutely. We get all kinds of trash here.

Chef John Currence: And everybody, call me John.

Chef John Currence: All my cooks are naked and drunk!

Nedsta256: I visited Oxford and was impressed by it's art community. Do you guys ever feature local artists in the restaurant?

Chef John Currence: Certainly.

Chef John Currence: Our dining room walls are decorated with lots of paintings by local artists from all over the region.

Guest185: Will you be featuring any special dishes for the Mardi Gras season?

Chef John Currence: No, we used to put on "the Mardi Gras Dog" every year... And I had a wayward souls Mardi Gras party for friends up here, but...

Chef John Currence: We had to discontinue it because it took two days to clean up after the last one!

Brad: Sounds like you guys like to have fun...

Chef John Currence: The restaurant business isn't all business...

Cajungeno: What is your recipe for shrimp scampi!

Chef John Currence: Sure, we've got a great recipe for it...

Brad: Don't you have a cookbook?

Chef John Currence: We're putting together a cook book now...

Chef John Currence: Since you've asked for it, we'll put it in there.

Nedsta256: Hi John, what's on the menu tonight?

Chef John Currence: We've got a duck confit...

Chef John Currence: With red onion marmalade and marinated lentils, a mixed grill of ostrich tenderloin and Mississippi Farm Raised Quail, with Bernaise.

Chef John Currence: And a Thai chili vinaigrette.

Brad: Ever have Rabbit?

Chef John Currence: We've got a very classical rabbit ragout pasta on the menu now, too.

Chef John Currence: With goat cheese and wilted arugula.

Brad: Any More questions for the Chef - please feel free to ask.

Brad: What are Winter Greens?

Chef John Currence: Winter are subject to interpretation.

Chef John Currence: They could be any "bitter' green.

Chef John Currence: There's no real definition of winter greens...

Chef John Currence: Not like collards.

Chef John Currence: More like chickories or arugula.

Brad: How did the Rebels do this year?

Chef John Currence: Sooo... The volleyball team is always on top.

Chef John Currence: Can't speak for the football team...

Guest185: Is crawfish ever part of your menu?

Chef John Currence: Almost never NOT part of my menu...

Chef John Currence: On my last menu, we had savory crawfish cheese cake with a smoke tomato Coulis.

Chef John Currence: I was at Crooks in the early days of Shrimp and Grits, but Bill would never take it to the extreme I wanted to go to.

Chef John Currence: I always knew what I wanted to do with it.

Chef John Currence: From 86 until 88. Its a big part of my start in cooking.

Chef John Currence: Better mushrooms.

Chef John Currence: Spicier Grits.

Chef John Currence: More Cheese!

Chef John Currence: More Flavor in general.

Guest185: Where do your crawfish come from -- from New Orleans?

Chef John Currence: It depends... Lots comes from a broker in Memphis,

Chef John Currence: "Tail Meat" comes from there.

Brad: Any final comments Chef?

Brad: Thank you so much for being here tonight - Chef.

Chef John Currence: Thanks for logging on. I'm flattered.

Chef John Currence: And come on down to City Grocery if you're ever in this neck of the woods.

Brad: And thank you everyone for participating.

Chef John Currence: Thanks so much, everybody. Have a good night!

Brad: Stay tuned for next month's Chef Chat.

Brad: Goodnight everyone.