Atlanta cafe owner was fixture in community

By J.E. Geshwiler

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Norris Curington was an enterprising restaurateur who operated a small chain of cafes on Atlanta's south side over a 30-year stretch. He was a civic leader in the Pittsburgh and Mechanicsville communities. On top of that, he was an exemplary good neighbor, offering his handyman skills to elderly homeowners.

Mr. Curington's first restaurant, called the Shrimp Bowl, was at McDaniel and Bass streets. Shrimp Bowl Two was at Fletcher and McDaniel, and Shrimp Bowl Three was at Pryor and University. The last one he operated before retiring was on Stewart Avenue (now Metropolitan Parkway).

"Dad did it all -- greeting customers, taking their orders, doing the cooking and then cleaning up at the end of the day," said his son, Norris Eugene Curington of Atlanta.

Teresa Mason of Atlanta, a family friend, recalled the restaurants' specialties were barbecued shrimp, crab cakes and deep-fried fish, plus sides such as collard greens, fried green tomatoes, fried fatback bacon and hardtack cornbread fried like pancakes.

Norris Curington, 79, of Atlanta, died March 13 at Grady Hospital of cardiac arrest. His funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday at New Hope Church of God in Christ. He will be buried with military honors Monday at the Georgia National Cemetery in Cherokee County. William Gayleano Murray & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Atlanta, Mr. Curington graduated from David T. Howard High School before entering the Army. Serving during the Korean War, he was seriously injured when he stepped on a land mine, said his wife, Alice Curington.

He attended Atlanta Business College and Atlanta Area Tech before opening his first cafe. S

He was active in the Pittsburgh Civic League and was president of the Pittsburgh Dramatic Club, which put on shows for children. He was on the board of directors of the Atlanta Football League, an amateur sports association, and coached the Pittsburgh Tigers football team. He helped set up a neighborhood civilian patrol to keep the peace after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 1980s, he ran once for City Council and once for mayor but lost both contests. In 1996, he ran unsuccessfully for the 5th District seat in the U.S. Congress.

For a few years after he retired, he busied himself by helping elderly neighbors with their household repairs. Then in 1991, he returned to the business of food; only this time he focused on the cultivating side of it.

His first project was clearing a vacant lot on one side of his house and planting vegetables. Then he repeated the process on a vine-covered lot on the other side of his house. Ditto for a neighbor's empty lot across the street.

Soon he was harvesting turnip and collard greens, pole beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash and cucumbers -- more of it than he needed to feed himself and his family.

He developed a routine familiar throughout his neighborhood. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were for tending to his urban gardens. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays were for marketing his bargain-priced bounty.

Also surviving are a sister, Gloria Johnson of Ellicott City, Md., and a brother, Branch Curington of Atlanta.