Chef/co-owner Glenn's Restaurant & Cool Bar

While his friends went to college to pursue conventional careers, Glenn Mayers became a philosophy student.

As he pondered life's questions, he thought about his roots and his future. Growing restless in the classroom, he began to wait tables - a decision which would change his life.

For Glenn's family, food was the almighty. One of his earliest memories is of his grandfather carefully sharpening his knives before cooking up homey ethnic favorites. Glenn's mother, no stranger to the kitchen, drove miles to search for the best food and the latest cooking equipment money could buy. She taught Glenn to cook, but he never planned to make it his livelihood until...

His first waiter's job at the Commonwealth's Tony Algonquin Club pushed his creative buttons. Wanting to learn more about the back of the house, he volunteered his services in the kitchen. With no formal culinary training, he began to help the cooks prep. Within a short time, he knew he was born to cook. Moving from the Algonquin Club in the early 70's to Boston's highest temple of gastronomy, Dodin Bouffant, he continued his dual role waiting tables and assisting in the kitchen. The owners recognized his budding talent a gave him a chance at the stove. The rest is history.

After stints at the Hyatt, The Park Plaza hotels and the late Vintage Wine Bar in Cambridge, he hooked up with his partner, Charlene Ferreira, to open a Newburyport fish house called Glenn's Galley in 1986. This seasonal operation left him with time on his hands. Faced with the same situation, many would travel to warmer climes. Not Glenn. He packed up his knives and opted to spend the winter in the trenches of the now shuttered Brive in the Big Apple.

In 1991 Glenn and Charlene jumped into the fire year round. They moved their operation to larger quarters in Newburyport. With an expanded menu, a wood grill and a sleek open kitchen in their new digs, Glenn's Restaurant & Cool Bar, Glenn Mayer's World Class Cuisine takes center stage every night. Not one to take himself too seriously, he cooks in the traditional chef's whites with a funky hat from his extensive collection perched on his head.

Glenn and Charlene finally tied the knot in San Francisco in early 1996. In his usual freewheeling spirit, Glenn neglected to purchase wedding bands before leaving town. On the way to City Hall, he ducked into a pawn shop to select two gold bands for the ceremony.

Glenn is still looking for the answers to life's questions...Knowing the value of good education, in 1978 he did pick up that degree in philosophy. By taking the road less traveled, today he proudly says, "I cook, therefore I am." His devoted customers are quick to add, "it doesn't get any better than Glenn's." Take a drive to find out why.