The Pelican Club

Richard Hughes and his wife, Jeanne Stinnett Hughes, moved from New York to New Orleans in 1989, and one year later opened the Pelican Club Restaurant and Bar. Born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Richard began his cooking career at home and continued at several New Orleans area restaurants. His first apprenticeship was with Chris Kerageorgiou at La Provence in Lacomb, Louisiana; then he moved on to saucier under chef Gerard Thabius at Winston’s, to night chef at The Sazerac, and then to chef at Dante by the River. In 1983 Chef Hughes was recruited as an executive chef to open Memphis Restaurant in New York which soon became regarded as a leader among Manhattan’s Creole-Cajun eateries.