One of Glasgow’s best chefs, Rosie Healey, is to stand down as head chef of Gloriosa after almost seven years at the influential West End restaurant.
Healey has been closely associated with Gloriosa since it opened on Argyle Street in November 2019, building a reputation for seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired cooking and helping establish the restaurant as one of the best-known independent dining destinations in Glasgow.
Gloriosa is now recruiting for a new head chef, with the successful candidate expected to take charge of the kitchen later this year. A job advert published in September lists a prospective starting date of 2 November and says the new chef will be given “genuine creative control” over the menu, kitchen and dishes.
Healey was already one of the most prominent figures in Glasgow’s restaurant scene before the launch of Gloriosa.
After graduating from Glasgow School of Art, she wrote directly to chef Yotam Ottolenghi asking for work despite having no formal professional kitchen training. A successful trial led to a three-year spell in his London restaurants, where she developed the vegetable-led, Mediterranean style which would later become a feature of her cooking in Glasgow.
She returned to the city and co-founded Alchemilla in Finnieston with Fergus McVicar in 2016.
The small Argyle Street restaurant quickly developed a national reputation for its informal approach, natural wines and bold, vegetable-heavy sharing plates. Healey was its head chef and co-owner, with food critic Jay Rayner among those to praise the restaurant during her time in the kitchen.
Healey left Alchemilla in 2019 and returned to London, spending time in the kitchens at restaurants including Quo Vadis, Rochelle Canteen and Padella before coming back to Glasgow to launch Gloriosa.
The restaurant opened in the former Firebird premises at 1321 Argyle Street on 25 November 2019, with Healey working alongside business partners Derek Sutherland and Lily Brown. At the time, she said she wanted to create something distinct from Alchemilla while carrying forward the best parts of her experience there.
Gloriosa subsequently attracted significant national attention. In a 2023 review for The Observer, Rayner described Healey’s focaccia as the “best focaccia I have ever eaten” and praised the chef’s handling of vegetables, acidity and seasoning.
By 2024, Gloriosa was serving around 900 covers a week, with Healey describing its approach as the sort of food people would want to eat on holiday – simple, seasonal cooking built around good ingredients and strong Mediterranean influences.
The restaurant has indicated that it intends to retain that identity after Healey steps down. Its search for a successor says the new head chef will be expected to continue developing Gloriosa’s “ethos, identity and food”, while evolving its modern Mediterranean menu.
No details have yet been announced about Healey’s next move.
Today’s message on Gloriosa’ social media stated: “Time for change has arrived and my time at the helm of Gloriosa restaurant is coming to an end.
“You will find me cooking in Gloriosa kitchen from October 1st to December 31st, a last hurrah before I head into the blue unknown and mackerel skies.
“7 years ago I was given a wonderful opportunity to try and start a great restaurant and Gloriosa swung opened its doors. With the help of a very dedicated, talented team and a flurry of loyal customers, I believe we managed to create a special place.
“So please come and join us in celebration over the next three months, eating, drinking and basking in the glory of this buzzing gaff before it starts a new, very exciting chapter!
“My darlings that means Gloriosa is looking for a new head chef! A good exciting job, working in a fast paced little kitchen, cooking special food, an experienced cook is a must. Please send your CVs to hello@gloriosglasgow.com.”