Richard "Dickie" Perkins

Richard “Dickie” Perkins was a restaurateur, writer, sea captain, poet, and unmistakable character of Ogunquit. Born in York and raised in Wells, he grew up close to the town’s coastal traditions before becoming a licensed sea captain and operating a tour boat from Perkins Cove. He also spent several years as an artist’s model at the Art Students League of New York.

In the 1950s, he met Robert Maurais, his business and life partner. Together they created a family of restaurants that helped make Ogunquit a destination for fine dining, including Poor Richard’s Tavern on Shore Road. Their establishments welcomed locals, visitors, and celebrities alike, but Dickie’s greatest gift may have been the way he transformed everyday Ogunquit life into story.

For decades, he wrote weekly letters and odes about the town, its people, its food, and its pleasures, signing them “How Rude.” Named Ogunquit’s Outstanding Citizen and later its Poet Laureate, Richard Perkins left behind not only restaurants and memories, but a written record of the town’s personality. Ogunquit’s voice was, in many ways, his voice too.