Bria Downey Slicing Meat
Bria Downey
Alas, Fort Worth chef Bria Downey's time at Roy Pope Grocery was short-lived.
According to Roy Pope — the nearly 80-year-old West Fort Worth grocery store that recently underwent renovation and reopened in early May — Downey is no longer working as culinary director.
"The management team needed to make adjustments in the overall culinary program, which is a widespread operation," owner-operator Chris Reale said in a statement. "They loved Bria’s talent as a chef and made plans to reposition her in a new role in the kitchen, but it simply didn’t work out."
Downey previously served as executive chef at Clay Pigeon, and during her stint, won Fort Worth Magazine's 2018 Top Chef competition and became a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Award in 2020. Upon her exit from Clay Pigeon last year, she teamed up with fellow chef Kevin Martinez to sell matzo ball soup out of his Yatai Food Kart before joining the Roy Pope team soon after.
As for the future of the Roy Pope kitchen, the recipes and menu have always been a collaborative effort among the culinary staff. That said, according to the grocery, there is no plan to hire another culinary director at this time.
