{"id":4940,"date":"2012-12-13T17:13:04","date_gmt":"2012-12-13T22:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=4940"},"modified":"2014-01-26T01:18:39","modified_gmt":"2014-01-26T06:18:39","slug":"city-grocery-welcomes-chef-de-cuisine-jesse-houston-from-tlv-169","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/city-grocery-welcomes-chef-de-cuisine-jesse-houston-from-tlv-169\/","title":{"rendered":"City Grocery Welcomes Chef de Cuisine Jesse Houston (from TLV #169)"},"content":{"rendered":"

City Grocery Welcomes <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chef de Cuisine<\/em> Jesse Houston<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Article by Jesse Yancy – photographs by Newt Rayburn<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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from The Local Voice #169 – Download the PDF here<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JesseHouston-2\"City Grocery<\/strong> in Oxford, the flagship of award-winning executive chef John Currence<\/strong>\u2019s City Grocery Restaurant Group, has a new chef at the helm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesse Houston<\/strong>, former chef at Jackson\u2019s trendy and popular Parlor Market, joined the team at City Grocery as chef de cuisine<\/em> this month. A native of Dallas, Houston graduated with honors from the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, a Le Cordon Bleu program. He has previously worked for such noted chefs as Stephan Pyles<\/strong>, Wolfgang Puck<\/strong>, Tim Byres<\/strong>, John Bates<\/strong> and Jesse Griffiths<\/strong>.\u00a0Houston assumed the executive chef position at Parlor Market after chef Craig Noone<\/strong>\u2019s untimely passing.\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

At Parlor Market, Houston further developed his passion for utilizing responsibly sourced ingredients, as showcased at an \u201cOutstanding in the Field\u201d event, where he and Currence realized their shared affinity for the region\u2019s tremendous natural resources, including quail, rabbit, sorghum, and especially, its fresh vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currence said that Houston brings \u201ca fresh look at the food of the new South. With him comes a youthful exuberance and talent set that will help propel the Grocery through the next few years as well as leadership to help mold an already solid team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"JesseHouston-1\"\u201cIn looking for someone to fill this position, I needed to identify someone who is genuinely engaged in both Southern food, its history, carrying it forward and provenance of the ingredients we use,\u201d Currence said. \u201cCity Grocery has to adapt to a changing landscape to survive and remain relevant, and we need a youthful set of eyes and hands to help us rethink how we have done things and how we will do them in the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Currence said that it is both challenging and exciting for him to hand over these responsibilities. \u201cAs my \u2018first born,\u2019 City Grocery is very special to me, and its continuing to remain at the forefront of the conversation about Southern food is of much greater importance to us than anything. We have to create with the understanding that our guests must be able to connect with the food in order to embrace it. Jesse is the perfect person to shepherd us along that path.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems to have a very genuine interest in exploring food and examining the elements in order to create a narrative. We could not be any more happy to welcome Jesse to the City Grocery team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Houston said, \u201cJohn and I share a very similar philosophy when it comes to food: Tell a story with great ingredients, try to source locally and seasonally as much as possible\u00a0and pay homage to southern recipes and tradition. John is always encouraging me to research and learn as much as I can about our southern roots.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI bring a real passion and eagerness for creating a memorable bite of food. I like exploring modern techniques and styles, keeping up with the current trends,\u201d Houston said. \u201cMy plans are to keep refining what John has been doing so well for the past 20 years. I want to absorb as much as I can from a place and a chef that has always been respected in the restaurant scene. I\u2019d also like to explore modern vegetable cookery and be able to highlight seasonal vegetables more as the star whenever I can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CityGrocery-Logo\"\u201cThere\u2019s no denying that Oxford\u2019s restaurant scene has been positively affected by the presence of John Currence and City Grocery,\u201d said Liz Barrett<\/strong> of EatingOxford.com<\/span><\/a>. \u201cOxonians regularly relish inventive, seasonal menus that also serve as inspiration for surrounding restaurants. Visitors to Oxford are always interested in trying the restaurant owned by a James Beard<\/strong> award winner, and Currence\u2019s culinary popularity attracts chefs such as Jesse Houston from far and wide for visiting chef events and permanent restaurant staff positions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Margaret Andrews<\/strong>, director of marketing for Favorite Recipes Press, said, \u201cChef Houston\u2019s popular pop-up restaurants and shared menu creations with guest chefs that he conducted in restaurants in and around Jackson could become an exciting addition to Oxford\u2019s role as a focal point of the Southern culinary scene.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Houston said that he hasn\u2019t had much time to spend exploring Oxford yet. \u201cIt is an extremely beautiful town, and while I may miss some of the big city perks, I am looking forward to the culture and arts Oxford has to offer.\u201d When he is not working in the City Grocery kitchen, Houston can be found making plans to transplant his beloved all-season garden, chicken coop and beehive to his new home in Oxford with his wife, Rachel<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article appeared as a feature in The Local Voice #169 (November 29-December 13, 2012).<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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