Oxford captured the heart and imagination of chef and restaurateur John Currence 25 years ago and he has been working since to bring the best to the community’s table.

With popular restaurants considered Oxford foundations in his City Grocery Restaurant Group that receive regional and national acclaim, including the flagship City Grocery, Snackbar, Big Bad Breakfast and Boure (there’s also The Main Event Catering), Currence delivers much of this city’s best food, drink and fellowship each and every day.

It’s a commitment of locally owned business and community that Currence believes helps Oxford maintain its hometown flair.

“There is a special spirit to this town that has grown dim with the tremendous amount of development and homogenization that has occurred, but we along with dozens of others, are dedicated to keeping that part of what makes Oxford so unique alive and burning,” Currence said.

Currence’s restaurants are among the winners of Oxford Newsmedia’s Best of Oxford 2017, which will be celebrated at a public event Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Lyric in Oxford. You can see the complete list of Best of Oxford 2017 on Page 11 of today’s Eagle.

Still growing

Currence has been busy expanding his food establishments to other cities, including Birmingham and most recently Inlet Beach, as Big Bad Breakfast becomes a Southern brand. But BBB’s home will always be Oxford, he says.

“Big Bad will always be an Oxford original. Oxford supported us and made it what it is. I could not be happier that it has legs and we are on the road to building something real and far-reaching out of it especially because it has never been touched before,” Currence said.

“Nobody out there was trying to elevate the breakfast meal before. It had basically been surrendered to a fistful of corporate chains and the product was mediocre. It was my deepest belief that if we turned our culinary attentions to it, we could create a real winner.”

But amid the expansion Currence is as entrenched as ever in the commitment to presenting Oxford with the highest qualities of a welcoming table, hoping to be a good community steward along the way. He’s most proud of the many jobs City Grocery Restaurant Group provides and how the community has key gathering spots that are Oxford owned and operated.

“There are hundreds of people who work every day at our restaurants who believe in what we do and, I hope, like being part of a company where everything else takes a back seat to quality,” Currence said. “I want the people working for me like Vishwesh (Bhatt) at Snackbar or our chef at City Grocery, Ralph Taylor, or our insanely talented pastry chef Austin Agent, and so many others, to get credit for the work they do.”

Currence said he often thinks about longtime Oxford establishments no longer around including the Busy Bee Café, Smitty’s, the Gin and Irelands, and understands that it takes effort to mark and preserve the city’s unique character. Such awareness parlays into a sense of responsibility.

“All I truly hope is that one day we will be remembered for being in some way part of helping make Oxford and Mississippi a better place,” Currence said. “I hope we can inspire one person to be a better citizen of their community or have had a positive influence on our industry.”

Best Chinese Restaurant	Noodle Bowl
Best Sushi	Jinsei
Best Bar	The Library
Best Barbecue	Handy Andy
Best Bakery	Bottletree Bakery
Best Breakfast	Big Bad Breakfast
Best Brunch	Big Bad Breakfast
Best Casual Dining	Ajax Diner
Best Place to Grab Dessert	YaYa’s Frozen Yogurt
Best Catfish	Taylor Grocery
Best Fried Chicken	Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
Best Catering	My Michelle’s
Best Coffee	High Point Coffee
Best Fine Dining	McEwen’s
Best Local Burger	Handy Andy
Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt	Holli’s Sweet Tooth
Best Happy Hour	Rooster’s Blues House
Best Liquor Store	Kiamie’s Package Store
Best Lunch	Boure
Best Lunch Under $10	Cook Out
Best Date-Night Spot	Snackbar
Best Mexican Restaurant	El Agave
Best Late-Night Food	Four Corners Chevron
Best Salad Spot	Greenline
Best Sandwich Spot	Newk’s Eatery
Best Seafood	Snackbar
Best Steakhouse	Oxford Grillehouse
Best Sweet Tea	McAllister’s Deli
Best Wings	Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Gas Station Food	Lindsey’s Chevron
Best Italian Restaurant	Saint Leo
Best Pizza	Saint Leo
Best Farm-to-Table Dining	Ravine
Best Soul Food	Mama Joe’s
Best Cupcakes	The Cakery
Best Milkshake	Sonic Drive-In
Best Cocktail	Snackbar
Best Kids Meal	Oby’s
Best New Restaurant	Saint Leo
Best Restaurant	Ajax Diner
Best Park	Lamar Park
Best Walking Trail	Whirlpool Trails
Best Local Event	Double Decker Arts Festival
Best Massage	Epicure Day Spa
Best Medical Clinic	Oxford Urgent Care
Best Men’s Clothing Store	Hinton & Hinton
Best Women’s Clothing Store	Miss Behavin
Best Nail Salon	Nail Bar
Best Nursery/Garden Store	The Barn
Best Place to Find Ole Miss Gifts	Rebel Rags
Best Pest Control	Pickens Pest Control
Best Pharmacy	Chaney’s Pharmacy
Best Photographer/Photography Service	Scott Burton
Best Real Estate Agency	Kessinger Real Estate
Best Shoe Store	Lulu’s
Best Spa	Epicure Day Spa
Best Tanning Salon	Oxford Supertan
Best T-Shirt Shop	Catdaddy’s
Best Bridal Shop	Oxford Bridal
Best Pet Groomer	Bottletree Animal Hospital
Best Car Wash	USA Car Wash
Best Chef	Vishwesh Bhatt
Best Bartender	Joe Stinchcomb at Saint Leo
Best Dentist	Ross Family Dental
Best Pediatrician	David Dennis
Best Chiropractor	Henderson Chiropractic
Best Psychiatrist	Tim Kelly
Best OB-GYN	Julie Harper
Best Nurse/Nurse Practitioner	Leigh Spencer
Best Veterinarian	Lee Payne
Best Doctor (Any Specialty)	Kecia Kirk
Best Lawyer	Jay Carmean
Best Realtor	Adam Quick
Best Firefighter	Wes Anderson
Best Law Enforcement Official	Brad McDonald
Best Local Writer	Ace Atkins
Best Local Artist	Bradley Gordon
Best Local Musician/Band	And the Echo
Best K-12 Teacher	Kathy Beasley
Best College Professor	Lorri Williamson
Best Oxonian to Follow on Social Media	Oxford Police Department
EDITORS’ PICKS
Cheap Happy Hour	Coyote Blues
New Breakfast Option	Beagle Bagel
Boozy Brunch	Rafter’s Music and Food
Food Truck	YoknapaTaco
Wine Bar	The Wine Bar
Dessert	Insomnia Cookies
Hangover Cure	The Good Old Boy at Big Bad Breakfast
Best Take on a Biscuit	Biscuits & Etoufee (Sinfully Southern)
Townie Bar	City Grocery
Undergrad Bar	Funkys
Beer Selection	Jackson Beer Co.
Dog Friendly Bar	Frank & Marlee’s
Luxury Tailgating Gifts	Katherine Beck
Coworking Space	The Edison
Haircut for the Money	Avenue West
High-End Haircut	Alice & Co.
Hair Color for the Money	The Parlor
High-End Hair Color	La Rousse
Mani-Pedi for the Money	The Nail Shop
Best Salon for African-American Hair	Tammy’s Hair Gallery
Life Photographer	Danny Klimetz
Fashion Splurge	Blue Delta Jeans
Taxi Alternative	Uber
Hostess Gifts	Amelia
Foodie Gifts	Mississippi Madness
Gifts for Ex-Oxonians	Olive Juice
Quirky Gifts	Off-Square Books
Vinyl Shop	End of All Music
Reason to Take a Staycation	Chancellor’s House
Oxonian to Follow on Instagram	Erin Austin Abbott
Study Spot	High Point Coffee
Meeting Spot	The Graduate Lobby
Story Time	Square Books Jr.
Quick Health Fix	Juva Juice
Ultimate Football Rental	East Jackson Guest House
Underrated Sports Experience	Basketball/ The Pavilion
Sweet Treat	Oxsicles
New Lunchtime Option	Chicken Salad Chick
Best Makeover	Summit Bar
Worth-the-Drive Adventure	Yalobusha Brewing Co.
Tailgating Setup Service	Southern Tradition Tailgating
Grove Catering	Taylor Grocery
Best Oxford Export	Big Bad Breakfast (multiple locations)
New Children’s Boutique	Elliott Lane
Best Hometown Bank	Oxford University Bank
Appliances/Electronics	Cowboy Maloney’s Electric City
Best Plate Lunch	Ajax Diner
Best Outdoors Gear	Hunters’ Hollow
Best Yoga	Southern Star Yoga
Best Barre Class	Cardio Barre
Best Workout	Orangetheory Fitness
Best New Workout	Hotworx