Description

In this episode of the Find Dining Podcast, James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence of the City Grocery Group restaurants  discusses his new cookbook, Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey: Recipes From my Three Favorite Food Groups and Then Some. We talk about Tabasco sauce, the rise of the celebrity chef and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his hometown.

• Visit the CIty Grocery website
• Buy John's cookbook
• Commander's Palace is a New Orleans culinary legend
• Early on, John worked at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• John was the sous chef at Gautreau's in New Orleans
• John helped the Brennan family open Bacco in New Orleans
• John read Art Culinaire magazine voraciously
• Cochon is the definitive Southern Cajun restaurant in New Orleans
• John set his sights on Zuni Cafe's roasted chicken
• The Picayune's Creole Cook Book is the classic Creole cookbook
• John is on the Board of Directors of the Southern Foodways Alliance
• Comeback Sauce hails from Jackson, Mississippi
• John was so proud of the vegetarian he prepared at Husk in Charleston, South Carolina, it brought him to tears
• John appeared on Season 3 of Top Chef Masters
• John's father's favorite Hungarian restaurant in London is Gay Hussar
• John was inspired by his friend John Besh's cookbook
• After Hurricane Katrina, John helped rebuild Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans

Food for Thought:

• Q: What makes Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce, a unique geological feature?
• A: Avery Island is a salt dome.

Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Dish to Order at City Grocery: Shrimp and Grits
• Dish to Order at Boure: The Reuben
• Dish to Order at Lamar Lounge: The Whole Hog Barbecue Plate
• Dish to Order at Snackbar: The vegetarian special
• Dish to Order at Big Bad Breakfast: The Pylon
• Recommended Wines at City Grocery: Venge Scout's Honor Zinfandel, any Dan Costa Pinot, Arista's Pinot