Brooke Parkhurst: is an author, foodie, new mom and home cook. Her debut novel with recipes, Belle in the Big Apple (Scribner, 08’), features a small town Southern girl who moves to New York City in search of a career--and a good meal. Brooke currently pens an online food column, “Full Plate,” (think Carrie Bradshaw-turned-June Cleaver) for the New York Daily News. She has also hosted ABC’s internet and digital cable food series in addition to acting as the lifestyle/cooking correspondent for Conde Nast’s debut web network.  Brooke has been featured on television and in such national and international media outlets as the BBC, Donny Deutsch, New York Times, New York Daily News and New York Post. 

She and her chef husband, James Briscione, have been featured in The Knot and The Nest magazines as the “Newlywed Culinary Dream Team” (Oct-Dec issue, 09’). They currently teach couples cooking classes at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education and at the artist’s studio, Studio B, in Alys Beach, Florida. Together, Brooke and James pen a couples cooking column for MyScoop Media.

Brooke, James and their 9 month-old daughter, Parker Lee, currently live and cook in Manhattan’s West Village.
 

James Briscione grew up with the foods of the South.  In Birmingham, Alabama he cooked with James Beard award-winner Frank Stitt. Under Stitt’s tutelage, James learned to create refined Southern cuisine by selecting only the freshest local ingredients. At age 24, James became Chef de Cuisine at the famed Highlands Bar and Grill.

A move to New York City and to Restaurant Daniel came next. As a sous chef in the private dining room, James cooked for the international elite executing dinner parties to French, 4-star standards. James currently works as a chef-instructor at The Institute of Culinary Education. 

Briscione and his wife, Brooke Parkhurst, who both hail from Pensacola, Florida, now write and cook together from their West Village apartment in New York City. Their first cookbook, Just Married and Cooking (Scribner ’11) will act as a cooking and lifestyle entertaining guide for the uninitiated, the newly married and kitchen challenged. He appeared on the first season of Food Network’s Chopped and walked away the champion. He returned to Chopped in Fall 2010 to compete in the champions tournament. 

James has also been featured in on-line cooking segments for ABC News Now, delish.com and Conde Nast, as well as Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius.