Galley & Garden

Chef James Boyce and wife and partner, Suzan, invite you to Galley & Garden, Birmingham’s newest destination for modern American-French inspired cuisine with southern influences. Located in what was once the historic Merritt House on Highland Avenue, the restaurant underwent renovations in the summer of 2014, enhancing the grandeur of the original home. Today, both the cuisine and the atmosphere of Galley & Garden highlight the juxtaposition of Southern touches from the past and present.

With his experienced, inventive approach to the culinary arts and dynamic leadership qualities, James Boyce has been tapped to create successful restaurant concepts and run the kitchens of numerous world-class culinary destinations. This 25-year industry veteran launched his culinary career at New York's venerable Le Cirque, where he worked for six years under the tutelage of Daniel Boulud. While working in New York, Boyce studied at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, graduating with top honors. In 1990, Boyce made his first trip West to The Phoenician, where he was nominated "Best Chef of the Southwest" by The James Beard Foundation in 2002, and after a few years, found himself at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas as chef de cuisine at Palace Court. He then put his name on the culinary map in 1995 as one of Southern California's leading chefs as top toque for San Diego's Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Boyce raised the bar for high-end dining in Southern California when he teamed up with Montage Hotels & Resorts in 2003 to open the luxurious oceanfront Montage Resort & Spa Laguna Beach and the signature fine dining venue, Studio.

Finally, Boyce brought his forward-thinking culinary expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to Huntsville, Alabama, where he and his wife, Suzan founded Boyce Restaurant Concepts which includes: Cotton Row Restaurant, Pane e Vino and Commerce Kitchen. Most recently, Boyce Restaurant Concepts has expanded into the Birmingham area and opened Galley & Garden on Highland Avenue.