Ruthie Rogers

Today’s guest is one of the most influential figures in British food. Ruthie Rogers is the chef and co-founder of The River Cafe, the legendary Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Hammersmith, which she opened with Rose Gray in 1987. Over nearly four decades, The River Cafe has completely transformed the way we eat and think about Italian food in this country, and its kitchens have helped launch the careers of some of Britain’s best-known chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Theo Randall and April Bloomfield.

But Ruthie’s influence extends far beyond the restaurant. She’s the author of numerous much-loved cookbooks and the host of the hugely successful podcast Ruthie’s Table 4, where an extraordinary guest list, from Paul McCartney and Elton John to David Beckham, Tony Blair and Nancy Pelosi, share the food memories that have shaped their lives. The podcast has now inspired her beautiful new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life.

And it turns out that food memories and travel memories have a great deal in common. Both can transport us instantly back to a particular person, place or moment in our lives.

I joined Ruthie at The River Cafe on a gloriously sunny summers day. Her travel diaries today take us from Cuba and Mexico to Maine and Marrakech, as well as her beloved Italy and the beautiful rhythm of family life she created with her late husband, the architect Richard Rogers, with summers in Tuscany, winters exploring the world and an almost constant desire to plan the next adventure.

Destination Recap:

Havana, CubaHotel Lungarno, Florence, ItalyCamino Real, Mexico City, MexicoContramar, Mexico City, MexicoNiddo, Mexico City, MexicoOaxaca, MexicoPuerto Escondido, MexicoHuatulco, MexicoChichén Itzá, Yucatán, MexicoUxmal, Yucatán, MexicoMonte Albán, Oaxaca, MexicoPalermo, Sicily, ItalyNaples, ItalyLo Scoglio, Marina del Cantone, ItalyAmalfi Coast, ItalyRavello, ItalyCapri, ItalyVernazza, Cinque Terre, ItalyTrattoria Gianni Franzi, Vernazza, ItalySanta Margherita Ligure, ItalyPortofino, ItalyBelmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice, ItalyYork, Maine, USAMarrakech, MoroccoTaroudant, MoroccoTafraoute, MoroccoEssaouira, MoroccoFez, MoroccoThe Shinmonzen, Kyoto, Japan

You can listen to Ruthie’s Table 4, wherever you get your podcasts.

Her new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life is available now.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked.

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