I was born and raised in New Orleans and made my way north to Oxford, Mississippi, in 1992 to open my first restaurant, thereby unwittingly beginning my true education in Southern food. For those of you who are unaware, New Orleanians don’t really consider themselves Southerners; not because we feel “above” the sometimes pedestrian stereotypes and implications of “Southern” or because we are necessarily any more cosmopolitan than the South might suggest, I just always got the feeling we simply didn’t think about it that much…or care. In fact, beyond eating, drinking, and being Catholic, I can’t really think of what we concerned ourselves with.

My grandparents lived in Georgia and North Carolina when I was growing up, and every summer my brother and I were packed off to spend a couple of weeks with each set. It was during those visits that I got my first true introduction to the rural South and was initially exposed to the foodways of our corner of the country. Days with my maternal grandparents were regularly spent picking tomatoes, shucking corn, or shelling peas.. Relatives and friends raised pigs, chickens, and cows, so I saw it all and had a tacit understanding of where our food actually came from.

My father loves to hunt and fish as much as anyone I know, and he tried to instill this love in my brother and me from the time we were capable of wielding the equipment needed to participate. Hunting and fishing helped deepen my respect for nature and the world in which we live.

My mother spent a tremendous amount of time in the kitchen when I was growing up. Travel abroad with my father fueled her interest in cooking, and because there was little she ate that she wasn’t prepared to attempt to duplicate, my brother and I benefited, greatly.

So, it is no surprise I have ended up in the restaurant business. My name is John Currence. I am chef/owner of three restaurants (Big Bad Breakfast, Bouré, and City Grocery) in Oxford, Mississippi. During the course of this blog experience, I will introduce you to some of my favorite people, places, and things in the South. I’ll try to show how some of the artisanal foods I find end up on our tables, on our menus, and in our recipes, and how the friends I make along the way influence my thinking. I’ll pass along my favorites and hopefully will learn some new ones from you as well. I think you’ll be surprised at what all is out there. I certainly am…