Ruthie Rogers, the renowned chef behind The River Cafe, laughs as she considers how people might perceive her. 'I'm sure that people walk past me, thinking, "Who's the crazy woman that says hi to everybody?"' she says, settling in for lunch at her iconic establishment. Her modesty is misplaced, as everyone here knows Rogers. Since opening the restaurant 39 years ago with her late friend Rose Gray in a former warehouse on the Thames, it has evolved into a true London institution. Originally a canteen for her architect husband, the late Sir Richard Rogers, the space boasts soaring ceilings, an open kitchen, a neon-pink wood oven, and vast plate-glass windows. The River Cafe is celebrated for its consistently excellent regional Italian cuisine, earning a Michelin star in 1997, and for its warm service and glittering array of A-list regulars.
A Democratic Dining Room
On any given day, diners might spot Sir Paul McCartney next to Tracey Emin, or Nigella Lawson across from Francis Ford Coppola. Sir Elton John enjoys spaghetti alle vongole, while Sir Michael Caine prefers Table 4. When asked if Table 4 is the best, Rogers explains, 'People ask, and I'll say Lucian Freud liked the table down there, Richard always loved being right by the kitchen. Somebody else prefers the window. It's quite a democratic room. I've sat at every table and there isn't a bad one.' Notably, the restaurant lacks influencers with film crews. 'I don't know why they don't come here. Perhaps we're not glamorous enough,' she muses.
From Podcast to Book
Many famous guests became friends, leading Rogers to launch a podcast in 2021, Ruthie's Table 4, featuring conversations with Gwyneth Paltrow, David Beckham, and Sarah Jessica Parker about cooking and comfort food. These talks have been compiled into her 14th book, Table 4 At The River Cafe. Inspired by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's words, 'Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are,' the book explores lives through food. Sir Michael Caine recalls wartime rationing, Tracey Emin remembers egg and chips, and Mel Brooks tries to forget his mother's awful dinners.
Discretion and Standards
Rogers remains discreet about her famous friends, turning questions back on the interviewer. 'We treat everybody in exactly the same way,' she asserts. 'That's what The River Cafe is about. You never know who's on a table. They may have saved up for months to come here, or their mother may just have died. Our aim is to make them feel looked after.' She recalls only asking someone to leave when they were rude to staff. 'I don't care who you are. That will never be acceptable.'
The Secret to Success
Rogers inspires genuine loyalty, with head chefs Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli staying since 2000 and 2001, and managers Charles Pullan and Vashti Armit since the 1990s. 'Working here is like being part of a big family,' she says. Customers span three generations. On the current economic climate, she admits, 'It's tough out there. If you want to get into a career to make money, you wouldn't necessarily go into restaurants.' Reflecting on nearly four decades, she says, 'Rose and I always talked about success and ambition. We had the ambition, even with six tables and no proper entrance. And wanted a restaurant that would serve the kind of food we ate in Italy, in a room designed with beauty and care.' When asked the secret, she pauses, looking around the buzzing room: 'Seriously, I have no idea. We just do what we do, every day, as well as we possibly can.'
Celebrity Stories from the Book
Tracey Emin: 'Mum wrote a note to school saying, "My daughter will not learn to cook"'
Tracey Emin, a guest on Rogers' podcast, recalls her mother's terrible cooking, except for egg and chips. 'She was completely against my cooking – which was pretty radical for the 1970s. When we were being taught it at school, she wrote a note saying, "My daughter will not learn to cook. She is not going to be a slave to any man." She had very strong ambitions for me.' Her father, a Turkish Cypriot, was a fantastic cook. The family drove from England to Turkey in a Ford Zodiac, stopping to fry eggs on a Calor gas stove. After her parents separated, they squatted in a cottage in Margate. 'My mum was out most of the time, working. Often she'd leave us sandwiches. If my mum didn't have work, we had nothing.' Emin left home at 15 for London, surviving on oysters when she had money. After bladder cancer surgery, she eats healthily, with apples as comfort food: 'I probably eat about six to eight a day. I like Pink Lady ones.'
Paul McCartney: 'We named our beer after a phallic-shaped fungus'
Paul McCartney recalls his mother's cooking, except for cow's tongue. After her death when he was 14, he mastered mashed potatoes. 'Sometimes, if I was trying to be exotic, I'd put in some finely chopped onions, raw.' His first wine experience in Paris with John Lennon was disappointing: 'This is terrible, it's like vinegar!' The Beatles' break-up led him and Linda to become vegetarian after watching lambs gambol. 'We had a conversation: "Should we try and not eat meat?"' Linda made macaroni and cheese that could be carved like turkey. At their East Sussex farm, they grow organic crops and make ale named Old Stinkhorn after a phallic fungus McCartney found in the woods.
Victoria Beckham: 'As a student I ate Super Noodles and bowls and bowls of Frosties'
Victoria Beckham's mother used the oven as a filing cabinet, preferring microwave meals. 'Mealtime was important. We always sat together, the five of us, in the kitchen.' She stopped eating red meat at seven after a home economics lesson. At Laine Theatre Arts college, she ate Super Noodles, Frosties with skimmed milk, and fat-free yogurt. Joining the Spice Girls introduced her to Cristal champagne. 'I'd walk into the stadium in a pencil skirt and a blouse, carrying a Birkin, and then have to change into a PVC catsuit. I had to really try and eat in a clean way.' She avoids dairy and oils, sticking to simple, healthy food.
Michael Caine: 'There was caviar all over the place. It was wonderful'
Michael Caine's father, a Billingsgate Fish Market porter, often brought home fish, so he ate fish for 15 years. During WWII, he was evacuated to a farm, catching rabbits with sticks. 'Health-wise I was very lucky.' After returning to London, they lived in a prefab with electric light and an indoor toilet. At 17, he went to Paris with £100, selling frites on the street. His first luxury food was caviar at the White Elephant in 1965, with Harry Saltzman. Now, he loves cooking alone, especially roast potatoes: 'When they're cooked, mash them a little bit: just crack them open and put oil on them. Then bake them again, so the oil gets baked inside.'
Nigella Lawson: 'Growing up, our kitchen was a source of great tension'
Nigella Lawson's mother was a good cook but had a troubled relationship with food and eating disorders. 'It was frightening, but I did learn a lot.' Her mother died at 48, saying it was the first time she could eat without guilt. In Italy before university, Lawson worked as a chambermaid and learned from a nonna. 'I found my voice' speaking Italian. 'To go into a place and not to have all these connections is freeing.'
