Oxford’s culinary reputation continues to shine as Chef Jon “JD” Davis claimed the title of 2025 King of Mississippi Seafood during Thursday’s state cook-off.

Davis, chef de cuisine at City Grocery, will go on to represent Mississippi in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans this summer, where he’ll compete for the national seafood title.

Last year, Chef Erika Lipe, owner of Sola Oxford, won the Mississippi Seafood Cook-Off and became the competition’s first Queen.

Raised in Memphis by his grandparents, Davis moved to Oxford in 2007 to attend the University of Mississippi. At the suggestion of a friend, he applied for a job at Boure’ as a pantry cook—a role that marked his entry into professional cooking. He worked there for three and a half years, steadily climbing the culinary ladder.

He later took a seasonal job in Cape Cod, further refining his cooking skills, before returning to Oxford to join The Blind Pig. There, he expanded his knowledge of the restaurant industry by working as a bartender, in front-of-house roles, and eventually as general manager. He spent about a year at The Graduate, returned briefly to The Blind Pig, and then worked at Saint Leo for about three months.

His next big opportunity came when he became sous chef at the Jackson Convention Center. About a year later, he returned to Oxford and became the head chef at Saint Leo for several years before joining City Grocery.