TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of popular Norfolk chef Richard Hughes.
Richard passed away over the weekend, aged 63, following a long battle with illness.
He worked as Chef Director at four-star hotel The Assembly House in Norwich, ran an award-winning cookery school and taught at City College Norwich.
Richard’s career began aged 15, in Great Yarmouth’s Imperial Hotel. He went on to become its head chef.
Spells at Michelin-starred The Rookery in Cheshire followed, before returning to Norfolk to open his first restaurant, Number 24, in Wymondham in 1991.
Little over a decade later, along with his first wife Sue, he opened The Lavender House at Brundall, before taking on the lease at Assembly House in 2009, with business partner Iain Wilson.
Richard had been unwell for the past four years, receiving active treatment for more than 18 months, but kept working in the kitchen up until December 2023, as well as in other roles until just days before his death.
In a post shared on social media, The Assembly House wrote: “Richard Hughes has died following a long illness borne with unbelievable grace, strength and courage.
"The Assembly House is overwhelmed by the thousands of messages they have received."
They also shared a statement prepared by Richard.
He said: “A lot of my sadness over the last few months has been the fact that I can’t get into my kitchen, that I won’t cook the 2024 Xmas menus I’ve written and I can’t cook the dishes from the Waitrose Magazine’s French classics edition!
“It’s been my life, and the sadness for me is that I’ve lost that. I love it so much.
“But of course, it’s not just about the food, it never has been. It’s the joy of giving, of looking after people, of giving them respite from their day-to-day, making memories that will last and most importantly, bringing glamour into people’s lives.
“And it’s working with my family, my very best friends, my very favourite people. What a privilege. I’ve been an incredibly lucky boy.”
Richard, who was well-known around Norfolk for his TV appearances on local channel Mustard TV, is survived by his wife Stacia, children Alison and Stacey, grandsons Isaac, Miles and Bennett, brothers David and Phillip and stepchildren Ruby and Cole.
Assembly House’s statement concluded: “Our ringmaster may have left the tent, but the show goes on in his name.”
Chef and friend of Richard, Gary Hunter, wrote via Instagram: “This is incredibly hard, as I am bereft of any adequate words to describe and explain a bond that has held together for over thirty years of true friendship.
“From our first encounter of ‘not having heard of each other’ in our culinary profession, to working together, laughing together, competing together, supporting each, being best men for each other, sharing long Sunday lunches with our much better halves (Nichola and Stacia) who keep us both on our toes as we leave them in such exasperation at our past antics. I have much to thank Richard for.”
Richard’s wife Stacia, who is co-director at The Assembly House posted: “It is still a shock that will take the rest of our lives to recover from.
“What will I miss about my husband? Everything. I will miss introducing him as my husband, my heart bursting with pride.
“The hole he leaves behind is unfathomably immense.”
(Picture: Instagram - @StaciaStella)
