Alan P. Hughes is an outstanding chef with over twenty years of international experience in leading restaurants. He has received numerous awards, attended numerous congresses, multiple TV appearances, given lectures.
He has worked in various settings from restaurants to catering to private chef and all in between
He has a unique and very simplistic approach to food; he is constantly updating himself with new tecniques, products and approaches to food; but yet, he emphasizes on letting the freshness of ingredients speak for themselves.
Alan P. Hughes began his carrer at the age of 13 working a Summer job at a “Parrilla” as a waiter; he lied about his age so they would give him the job. There was something about , the food, the fun and the chaos of the restaurant business that caught his attention.
When he was 18 he did an apprenticeship with Argentina’s premier Chef Francis Mallmann in Buenos Aires; that was a key influence and an eye opener in his career because he was exposed to amazing ingredients and experienced first hand new tecniques and in an amazing setup.
Later he moved to Spain and bagn a circuit of a few restaurants that broadened his horizons of ingredients and dishes in general.
He moved to New York where he entered the French Culinary Institute and studied a 6 months intensive course. He was recomended by Jaques Pepin for his first job in NYC; Audrone’s restaurant; a small bistro on the theater district.
There he aquired a sense of small restaurant setting, lot’s of pressure and speed. We would have to do 70 covers in an hour and a half; appetizers, entree, dessert, coffee and check all between two chefs and one garde manger.
I loved this restaurant and have great memories from it.
When the restaurant closed, Alan started a tour of other restaurants and catering business in NYC that included stints at The River Cafe, Sarabeth’s, Bistro de Nord, Union Square Cafe, Follonico, Remeber Basil and later landed a job at The Gracie Mansion where he cooked briefly for Mayor Koch and briefly as well for Mayor Dinkins.
Alan travelled through Europe and The Americas; he became the first chef for El Divino in Ibiza; he also was Chef at The Blue Mountain Inn in Kingston Jamaica as well as Chef of The Posada del Tepozteco in Tepoztlan; Morelos, Mexico. He also has been guest chef in Haiti at El Rancho Hotel.
