The Roca Restaurant and Bar has been located at 127 Country Club Drive for the past seven years, but Chef Jay Parmegiani says it is time for a change.

“We are closing to gear up for a new location,” Parmegiani said.

Rumors have been circulating for months that Parmegiani would be terminating his lease with the Vicksburg Country Club, and on Thursday an announcement was made via social media.

Parmegiani said it is usually typical for a restaurant to “revamp” or repaint walls every eight to 10 years, and he just decided to move.

“It is time for a change,” he said, listing no particular reason for his decision to leave the current location other than he was afforded the opportunity for a better situation.

Though closing their doors to the public after tonight’s serving, Parmegiani said he would still be hosting private events and Christmas parties through the end of December.

He said he also plans to continue food services through February to the Vicksburg Rotary Club, which meets at the VCC each Thursday.

Vicksburg Country Club president John Boland said Parmegiani’s lease would be up in April, and the board will actively be looking for someone to temporary fill the vacancy until a permanent situation can be determined.

“The board has not solidified anything with Parmegiani,” Boland said, adding he hopes the group can come to a decision on Parmegiani’s proposal at the next meeting, which is set for Nov. 28.

“My hope is that they get someone in there that can provide services to the VCC members,” Parmegiani said.

He also reiterated his decision to move was purely a business decision and that he has no hard feelings with the club, adding he is grateful to all of his patrons and has appreciated the community support.

As of right now, all Parmegiani would say about the new location is that it would be somewhere downtown and that his hopes are to open “ sooner than later.”

“The details have not been completely ironed out yet,” he said, but added he is very excited about the transition.

Roca opened its doors in May 2009, and was named after Parmegiani’s great-great-grandmother, Emanuelle Roca and is described as classically European but distinctly Southern.

Parmegiani said he wanted his cuisine to represent both his European heritage and his Southern roots by blending the Old World-cooking techniques he learned from his father, Jacques Parmegiani, with ingredients indigenous to the South.

The VCC did a complete renovation to their dining and kitchen facility before Roca opened, which included adding seating for more than 85, an open exhibit kitchen and a brick oven for cooking specialty pizzas.