Chef Michael Glenn, a longtime restaurateur, caterer and arranger whose creations were enjoyed throughout the Birmingham area and beyond, has died. The Leeds native died Sept. 12 at age 66 after an extended illness.
Glenn’s food was found everywhere from corporate dining rooms and VIP executive functions to family and community gatherings.
“He was really an institution,” said Birmingham Councilwoman Carole Clarke, who has been friends with Glenn for nearly 20 years. “He got to spend the best times of peoples’ lives with them or the hardest times of peoples’ lives with them. He was with them at the highest and lowest and helping them through those low times. He loved his work for that reason.”
Glenn had long operated Creative Catering by Ambrosia when he and his family decided to expand. In 2009 Glenn and his sisters Cheryl Wilson and Barbara Pugh opened Ga Briella’s restaurant in downtown Birmingham across the street from the Carver Theatre.
“If you put out a good product and good service, people will support you,” Glenn told then-Birmingham News reporter Roy Williams in 2009. ‘’As an executive chef, my job is to make people feel good and relax. People will still go out and have a good meal with their loved ones and try to forget about the situations they’re going through.”
The restaurant opened with artwork, white table clothes and a grand piano. Glenn described Ga Briella’s as specializing in ‘’progressive Southern cuisine.’’
Numerous news stories over time depicted Glenn at work showcasing his culinary and pastry creations and posing with a variety of guests and friends including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Glenn was also an avid supporter of the Miss Alabama pageant, as evidenced by his various photos alongside the reigning queens.
“He has no shortage of friends,” Clarke said, noting that Glenn’s connections included international figures, including Rice and many Birmingham-area friends and community leaders.
Away from kitchen, Glenn was lauded as a generous and encouraging father figure, said his niece Lashon Warren.
“He was a giving person, and he didn’t have any children, but he pretty much still took care of us like we were his,” Warren said. “He paid for my prom dress. He helped pay for my wedding and walked me down the aisle.”
Glenn graduated from Alcorn State University in Alcorn, Mississippi where was also served as student president. The future master chief earned a degree in biology and chemistry.
“He excelled in everything he did,” Warren said. “He was big on encouraging people to go to school because he knew that education could open doors. That’s what he showed me, and I did that because he paved the way.”
While Glenn’s name is synonymous with food, he was just as proficient as a creative designer, said longtime friend Monique Rogers.
“He could make the best arrangements and make everything beautiful,” said Rogers of Mobile. “That’s something people need to know about. They think about that flood and also the ambience that he brought along with it.”
Rogers said there was art in every element of Glenn’s work. Above all, she said, flowers will continue to remind her of her friend.
“God knows when he wants to take his beautiful flowers, so he took him,” Rogers said.
News of Glenn’s death generated swift reaction and condolences on social media.
“The greatest of all times,” State Rep. Juandalynn Givan wrote on Facebook shortly after Glenn’s death. “You’ve earned your reward. Servant of God rest well done! Rest well, my friend.”
Others followed.
“Amazing chef. A cooking scholar. A true friend he was. Holidays, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, we depended on Michael,” wrote Josephine Clark. “Rest Michael rest. Birmingham and other cities will truly miss you.”
Glenn’s sense of style transcended food. Clarke recalled meeting Glenn for the first time at his 44th birthday party. It was held at a plant nursery decked out for the occasion. And as always, Glenn was also decked out in his best attire, she said.
“He loved grandeur anyway,” Clarke said. “He was formal all the time.”
On Facebook, Cadeshia Howlett Samuel underscored Clarke’s observations with a simple summary.
“A beautiful soul, great chef, and stylish dresser,” she wrote.
