Friends since the first grade, Brian Stroburg and Daniel Gover have actualized an ambition to establish a restaurant of their own here in Salem—Current River Kitchen is located on Hwy. 19 next to Bottorff South-Town furniture.
These sons of Salem both began their culinary journeys as teenagers. Some of Stroburg’s earliest work involved working at the Walnut Bowl, Wally Stroburg’s (his grandmother) restaurant that was located where Aranda’s Mexican Restaurant is today—that sample of the restaurant world spurred Stroburg into what has become a successful career.
Gover’s first taste of the restaurant business was at Salem’s Burger King when he was in high school—an inauspicious beginning to what later transformed into a passion for the culinary arts.
Stroburg and Gover spent much of their formative years as mischievous accomplices and ultimately, after high school, the two went to Springfield together to study culinary arts at Ozark Technical College (OTC), during which they roomed together and their friendship continued to grow alongside their culinary knowledge.
In those days, after graduating from OTC together, they had hoped to find work alongside each other, but that plan was derailed by an accident that left Gover unable to walk for a long time. He fell down a flight of stairs and broke his spine.
Stroburg began a career that has culminated in becoming a sort of menu design specialist as he has worked with more than a dozen businesses to create menus. One local example is that Stroburg is responsible for creating the menu at JB Malone’s Bar & Grill in Salem.
Gover’s career was stymied by the pressing needs of physical therapy but finally, after spending more than two years learning how to walk again, he was finally able to set out on his own career that took him all around the country. During that time Gover worked stints at Yellowstone National Park, Liquor Larry’s in Minneapolis (Minnesota), Harbell’s in Springfield, and 4204 Brewery in Illinois to name a few.
Now, according to Stroburg and Gover, this is finally their shared chance to have a restaurant of their own.
“We’ve always loved barbecue,” said Stroburg.
“Now it’s our chance to have something of our own,” said Gover.
They originally celebrated a soft opening Sept. 3 and have stayed popular, selling rack after rack of ribs, brisket sandwiches, chicken Panini’s, etc.
Now, the Current River Kitchen is open daily starting at 11 a.m.
