With clever chapter titles like “Chalk Talk: Pre-Pregame Pickup Snacks,” “Bowl Games: The Things of Legend Presented in Bowl Form,” and “Freaking Refs!!! They Will Drive You to Drink,” Chef John Currence’s newest playbook showcases festive fare that will keep your guests cheering no matter what kind of party you are throwing. Yes, the title—Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating—seems specific to football gatherings, but Chef’s sporty banter will keep any home cook coming back for these recipes every time they find a need to cook for a boisterous crowd.
Let’s face it, 2020 has pretty much sidelined traditional tailgating as we know it. Fans have been forced to get creative this season, but Tailgreat is not a cookbook to pull out only between August and January. Why not host a holiday gathering (within safe social distancing limits, of course) and serve a dish or two from Currence’s tailgate menu? I guarantee Thanksgiving could use a little extra kick via God’s Own Buffalo Chicken Dip, or your Christmas gathering needs more Chai-Spiced Nog—both are recipes you will find in the pages of Tailgreat.
In the book’s intro Chef writes, “On holidays–Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Christmas, Labor Day game days . . . American kitchens roar to life. . . . as we celebrate these moments together, by breaking bread . . . . Food knows no political affiliation, race, religion, gender identification, or sexual orientation. It is the one thing that brings us back together, no matter how far apart we have become.”
And haven’t we been far apart enough this year? So get to cookin’—responsibly; you know how to be safe by now, don’t you? It is still possible to nourish yourself and your friends and family with delicious food and stimulating fellowship safely. And once this whole Covid-19 nightmare passes, you may just have perfected some killer tailgate food that will completely wow your guests at the next Super Bowl fiesta (or bachelorette party, birthday brunch, house warming—you get the idea!)
You can pick up your copy of Tailgreat at Square Books in Oxford. They are still offering curbside pickup, online shopping, and delivery in addition to limited in-store shopping. Signed copies are available there, and Chef Currence will also personalize copies. Contact the City Grocery Restaurant Group office at 662-234-9300 for more information.
John Currence is one of the most celebrated and beloved chefs in America, but he’s also a tailgating fanatic. For years he has prepared fans to go into battle before football games on his home turf in Oxford, Mississippi, supplying them with dishes that go way beyond the expected burgers and hot dogs.
John Currence is the owner of the City Grocery Restaurant Group, which includes City Grocery, Big Bad Breakfast, Bouré, Snackbar, and The Main Event. Currence is a James Beard Award winner and the author of Pickles, Pigs, and Whiskey and Big Bad Breakfast.
