Friends, family mourning loss of popular chef, restaurateur Glad
Many in the local area are mourning the loss of a well-known chef, Bernard T. Glad. Glad, 42, died Friday evening in Shady Side Hospital, Pittsburgh.
Glad, known as Bernie, along with his wife, Cathy, operated the historic Lardin House Inn on Route 21, Masontown, and for five years, Glad and Cathy hosted the call-in cooking show “Chef Du Jour” from WMBS radio in Uniontown.
Throughout those five years, WMBS General Manager Ron Dawson often spoke with Glad. Reminiscing on how much Glad would be missed, he said, “We loved Bernie. He had a heart of gold. He was universally liked by everyone in this station. Yes, we loved Bernie.”
Glad’s sales representative Sandy Tracy described the dedicated chef, father, husband and son as “such a likable person.”
“He was so helpful to people,” Tracy said. “Bernie would take the time to help anyone, and I think that was reflected in everything he did. He was always willing to help people.
“He always brought family things to his show, family recipes from his grandfather and his wife Cathy’s family. If someone called in with a recipe, he had no problem telling them to call the restaurant so he could speak with them further.”
An active member of the Laurel Highlands Chapter, Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, Glad served as its president for three years.
Fellow member Irene O’Brien, a former culinary arts instructor at the North Fayette County Vocational-Technical School, called Glad a “a friend first, then a professional.’
“He was so compassionate, so helpful,’ she said. “I feel very badly about this. He will be missed greatly,’ O’Brien said.
Glad was an instructor of culinary arts at Connellsville Area School District and also at Westmoreland County Community College, where he earned his associate degree.
He was the recipient of many culinary awards, including the national silver medal from the American Culinary Federation and the Keystone Award for outstanding service.
He was also a member of many advisory boards and served on the executive board of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association.
Glad was instrumental in helping young students further their culinary talents by helping to establish the Laurel Highlands Restaurant Association scholarship fund. Several graduates each year were awarded scholarships to further their culinary arts endeavors through funds raised from the popular “Taste of Laurel Highlands” fund-raiser.
Besides his wife, Cathy Mary Schrader Glad, he is survived by his children, Veronica, Jennifer and Jeremiah; his mother, Filomena Gismondi Glad; his brother, Dr. Lawrence Glad, and his wife, Nancy; his mother-in-law, Agnes Schrader; and several relatives, including his godmother and aunt, Adele G. Kezmarsky.
Friends are being received in the Stephen E. Kezmarsky Funeral Home, 71 Pennsylvania Ave., Uniontown, today from 7 to 9 p.m. and Monday from noon to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and until 9 a.m. Tuesday, when a blessing service will be offered, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Therese Roman Catholic Church. Burial will take place in Mount Macrina Cemetery.