Richard Hughes, Chef Director at The Assembly House in Norwich has died

Rosedale are saddened to hear the news that Richard Hughes, Chef Director at The Assembly House in Norwich, has died following a long illness.

Richard gave much valued support to Rosedale in their ‘Cooking for One’ Project, as he shared our passion of helping people cook after the loss of a loved one:

‘At the Richard Hughes Cookery School at The Assembly House in Norwich, we regularly work with students who want a crash course in cooking after losing a loved one. They’ve found themselves in a foreign land – the kitchen – faced with the sixth stage of grief: cooking alone. So, we gently steer them back on track and remind them that food is one of the greatest healers and eating doesn’t have to be bittersweet.’

The Assembly Rooms have released the following statement:

“We are devastated to share sad news with you this morning.

Richard Hughes, Chef Director at The Assembly House, has died following a long illness borne with unbelievable grace, strength and courage.

We will share a full obituary with you shortly, but in true Richard-style, he wanted to ensure that his beloved customers knew that it will remain very much ‘business as usual’ at the House.

Shortly before he died, he wrote: “A lot of my sadness over the last few months has been the 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 is 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.”

Unwell for four years, Richard has been receiving active treatment for more than 18 months and although he has steered The Assembly House with co-owner Iain Wilson, his time in the kitchen has been necessarily very limited.
This was a source of great sadness to him: he loved the House and more to the point, his adored team and his customers.

His last shift in the kitchen was in December 2023, although he was a very regular visitor.

He has written all the House’s menus, including events and weddings, for the foreseeable future and his succession plan has been in place for many months. He worked until the very end.
His wife Stacia and daughter Stacey are co-directors at the House alongside Iain Wilson and will continue to head the family business alongside a senior team who Richard hand-picked, who he trusted implicitly and who will run the business in true Hughes style.

His legacy is his loving family, The Assembly House and a huge number of hospitality staff and chefs he has nurtured and sent into the world: chefs who still work with him decades after they joined, who work in kitchens across the world, many Michelin-starred, who still keep in touch, who love him.

But he’d want us to tell you that he always loved the kitchen porters just as much as anyone with a star under their belt, probably more.

He always judged people on how they treated hospitality staff and service providers and never trusted anyone who looked down on anyone else or treated them as if they were invisible. He gave everyone a chance and rewarded loyalty with loyalty: it’s just one of the reasons he was so very loved by so many.

Richard is survived by wife Stacia, children Alison and Stacey, grandsons Isaac, Miles and Bennett, brothers David and Phillip and step-children Ruby and Cole. They would like to thank the loving care he received at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital: such love, dedication and devotion will never be forgotten.

Richard’s loss is felt so very deeply by us all. Our hearts are broken and we know so many of yours will be, too.

Thank you, Chef. We love you. Our ringmaster may have left the tent but the show goes on in his name.”