When James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst moved back to Pensacola to launch Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano, which opened in 2019 , it was merely a bare dirt floor with a big vision. Little by little, the two pieced together a modern Italian restaurant infusing Gulf Coast heritage and New York City sophistication in the heart of downtown Pensacola .
Now, Briscione and Parkhurst are moving on from Angelena’s and into their next chapter working with Pensacola's private social club Harry Roy. Briscione will be taking over as executive chef to create a “modern brasserie”-style menu while Parkhurst will be serving as wine director, bringing Pensacola hard-to-find wines from all over the world.
Harry Roy founders Raf Simpson and Lauren Simpson are also working with Briscione and Parkhurst to create their own hospitality group , where they are equity partners.
Angelena's opens in downtown Pensacola: Long-awaited Angelena's restaurant announces opening date
Harry Roy is a private members club on Palafox Street with memberships priced at $2,400 annually. Membership is intended for adults who seek an exclusive and high-quality social club for dining and socialization, according to the Harry Roy website .
“We’re so impressed with the space and what Raf and Lauren have already created − a concept that could grow and expand across the southeast,” Briscione said.
They envision Harry Roy becoming a concept that could appear in major cities such as Charleston, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama.
“This is something we have been working on for a while,” Parkhurst said of partnering with Harry Roy. “We wanted to grow and expand to do more.”
By adding Briscione and Parkhurst on, Simpson said it will add to the "excellent culinary offerings" Harry Roy was created to offer.
"Every time (members) come in, it should be an experience," Simpson said.
While Briscione is known widely in Pensacola for his Italian cuisine, his culinary expertise is expansive of all different regions. He intends to create a menu for Harry Roy with small plates that will be sharable with family and friends, as well as fully composed entrées. Parkhurst also sees opportunity for wine pairings with Briscione’s dishes, such as small plates with tasting pours.
Within the new hospitality group, they are looking to offer experiences that are open to the public while still preserving what has been created at Harry Roy, Simpson said.
Briscione and Parkhurst will be spending their last day at Angelena’s on Aug. 24 and will be full-on with Harry Roy on Aug. 28.
Briscione said that Angelena’s will be in good hands with Chef de Cuisine Ian Gilette taking over the reigns as executive chef, a role Briscione has been actively preparing him for over the past several years, he said.
“We have been excited to see his growth and see that recognized,” Briscione said. “There was no way we were going to step away from Angelena’s if we didn’t know it was in great hands.”
Parkhurst said while the two will no longer be at Angelena's, their dishes, wines and flavors will be.
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Angelena's Executive Chef James Briscione leaving to head menu at Harry Roy social club
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