James Briscione

Executive chef James Briscione is the first-ever two-time champion of Food Network’s Chopped. He has since become a Food Network regular, serving as a host and judge on television as well as starring in original Food Network digital series and streaming platforms. James is a frequent guest on The Dr. Oz Show and was named one of People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest Chefs Alive.’ Together, he and Brooke have authored four cookbooks, including their award-winning, best-seller, The Flavor Matrix (HMH ’18). James cut his culinary teeth at the age of sixteen in the kitchens of Jubilee on Pensacola Beach. While in college in Birmingham, Alabama, James began crafting wood-fired oven pizzas for Chef Frank Stitt at Bottega Café. In his six years under Stitt’s tutelage, James worked his way up to become chef de cuisine of the multi James Beard Award-winning Highlands Bar & Grill. In 2006 a new life and new challenges enticed him to shift his attentions to New York City. James moved to Manhattan to be with his now wife, Brooke, and to take a position at Daniel Boulud’s iconic four-star restaurant, Daniel. As the sous chef of the private dining room, James cooked for a rotating roster of visiting celebrities and dignitaries. Eventually, James transitioned to The Institute of Culinary Education where he spent ten years as the Director of Culinary Research, training students and professional chefs alike on cutting edge culinary techniques. In the summer of 2018 James and Brooke returned to their hometown of Pensacola, FL to open Angelena’s with Quint and Rishy Studer, the Great Southern Restaurant Group and Jean Pierre N’Dione.