Ruthie's Table 4

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For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home.

On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers.

Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks.

Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation.

For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/

Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/
Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/

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26 episodes
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Tuesday · 49 min
From the Archive: Zoe Saldaña on Growing Up in Queens, Family Recipes & Why NYC Has the Best Pizza
As we look forward to Series 6 in October, we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes of Ruthie’s Table 4. Zoe Saldaña was a force from the moment she entered the restaurant back in 2025. She told us stories about her grandmother’s coconut desserts, how her family dances through life, and what it was like growing up in Queens. We talked about Caribbean soups, Dominican cooking and New York pizza — and by the end of the episode, we were all ready to eat. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social. ⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4 TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4 YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk Contact us: ⁠Ruthiestable4pod@gmail.com Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/ Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E46
September 7 · 21 min
How Food Shapes Our Work… Gayle King, Mark Ronson, Graham Norton, Emerald Fennell, and Patrick Radden Keefe.
Whether in film, music, books or television, food can be a source of inspiration or integral to the way we work. In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're talking about the shared ingredients of what we do, with Gayle King, Mark Ronson, Graham Norton, Emerald Fennell – the director of Wuthering Heights, and Patrick Radden Keefe – the author of London Falling. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social. ⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4 TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4 YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk Contact us: ⁠Ruthiestable4pod@gmail.com Credits Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers Production Manager: Bella Salini YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/ Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E45
August 31 · 27 min
Where Food Meets Politics… Jacinda Ardern, Andrew Jarecki, Erin Lyall, Hilton Als, Annie Leibovitz, Kamala Harris
I've always thought we judge a culture by the way we feed our poor, our sick and our prisoners. In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're talking about food and politics, in conversation with Jacinda Ardern, documentary filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, CBS conflict producer Erin Lyall, writer and critic Hilton Als, Annie Leibovitz, and Kamala Harris. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social. ⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4 TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4 YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk Contact us: ⁠Ruthiestable4pod@gmail.com Credits Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers Production Manager: Bella Salini YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/ Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E44
August 24 · 24 min
Why Restaurants Matter… Jamie Oliver, Piers Morgan, Marina Hyde & Richard Osman, Tracey Emin & Dara Khosrowshahi
It may come as no surprise that I have a special interest in restaurants. The River Café is where I work, where I record this podcast, and where I spend so much of my life. In this special compilation episode of Ruthie’s Table 4, we’re talking about restaurants—how to run them and why they matter—with stories and memories from Piers Morgan, Jamie Oliver, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, Tracey Emin, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social. ⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4 TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4 YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk Contact us: ⁠Ruthiestable4pod@gmail.com Credits Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers Production Manager: Bella Salini YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/ Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E43
August 17 · 16 min
The Food That Shaped Us… Kamala Harris, Sadiq Khan, Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones.
Childhood kitchens, our parents' cooking—the food we eat when we're young stays with us for life. This special compilation of Ruthie's Table 4 celebrates food and childhood, featuring memories from Kamala Harris, Mayor Sadiq Khan, architect Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social. ⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4 TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4 YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk Contact us: ⁠Ruthiestable4pod@gmail.com Credits Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers Production Manager: Bella Salini YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/ Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E42
August 10 · 40 min
If You Can't Take the Heat… How Does a Restaurant Handle a Roasting Summer?
As a farewell to series 5, I'm joined by Sian Wyn Owen to take you behind the scenes at The River Café during the recent heatwaves this summer—what we cooked and how we served. And Season 6 is on the way, starting off with the stars of Only Murders in the Building, Steve Martin and Martin Short, in an episode full of laughter, food memories, and banjo playing. See you in October! Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E41
August 3 · 20 min
Dorothée Boissier on Designing Restaurants, Paris, and Creative Partnership
Dorothée Boissier is an interior designer and co-founder of the Gilles & Boissier studio. Together with her husband, Patrick Gilles, she creates exquisite architecture and interiors around the world. Today, we're at Moncler's beautiful flagship store on the Champs-Élysées, designed by Dorothée and Patrick. We'll talk about Paris, food, their creative partnership, and the art of designing restaurants. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E40
July 27 · 34 min
Clare Hornby, Founder and CEO of ME+EM
Good food and good clothes should do the same thing: make you feel instantly comfortable, confident, and completely at home. In this episode Ruthie sits down with Clare Hornby, the visionary entrepreneur founder and CEO of ME+EM. Clare has built the UK's fastest-growing luxury label by mastering "intelligent style" -creating crafted, functional wardrobes for women. Bound by a shared love for exceptional ingredients in food and fashion, Ruthie and Clare talk about friendship, building a business from scratch, the food memories that shape them, and much much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 23 · 19 min
Bonus: Michael Elias on his new book, Bender's LA
Ruthie speaks to her brother, screenwriter and author Michael Elias, about his latest novel, Bender's LA. In the coke-dusted canyons and deal-making rooms of 1970s Los Angeles, writer David Bender sets out to remake his life - romantically, professionally, and spiritually - after his wife walks out in Puerto Vallarta with a single sentence and a suitcase. Order a copy now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Benders-L-Michael-Elias/dp/B0GWC41TVM See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E39
July 20 · 21 min
In Conversation With Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes and I have different professions, and different workplaces. As editor-in-chief of The Economist, hers is in the newsroom mine is the kitchen. But we have much in common, sharing a message of honesty - me with ingredients, Zanny with words. And we both have time limits - in the case of this conversation, just 20 minutes which we recorded live onstage at the Google Zeitgeist conference. In this brief time, we explored her work and life through the lens of food. And what a life it is. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 17 · 6 min
Bonus: Wine with Ab Rogers
Ab Rogers explains his fascination with wine and why he prefers grapes that have had to fight for their survival. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E38
July 13 · 35 min
Ab Rogers, Designer
Ab Rogers is a visionary designer. He is also my stepson. For over 50 years, we’ve been side by side, taking adventures together. Today, we’re together in the River Cafe to share stories - memories of his father and my husband Richard Rogers - travels, families, work and food. We will also talk about five women who inspired the way he cooks, and the creative methods he uses to bring ingredients together, creating some of the most delicious food I’ve eaten in my life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 10 · 7 min
Bonus: Erin Lyall on Eating With Soldiers
Erin Lyall, a conflict producer for CBS News, reveals what it's like to eat with soldiers, how an army feeds itself, and how she personally recovers after the strain of working in a war zone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E37
July 6 · 39 min
Erin Lyall, Conflict Producer For CBS News
As a conflict producer for CBS News, Erin Lyall has eaten with Ukrainian soldiers on the freezing front line, cooked with families in their homes in Gaza, and shared meals on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq with bullets sounding in the distance. From these experiences in the field, Erin created Food Under Fire, a unique food blog featuring recipes, anecdotes, and portraits of the people she's met on her journalistic travels. Today, we're together in the safety of the River Café to talk about how food can bring us together, both in war and in peace. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 3 · 5 min
Bonus: Graham Norton on why you should work in a restaurant
Graham Norton reveals what he learned from working in restaurants, what he noticed about tricky customers, and why he would recommend the experience to everyone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 2 · 19 min
Mel Brooks Turns 100
This week marks a very special occasion. My friend, Mel Brooks, is turning 100. For the best part of a century, he has lit up the world with his warmth and humour, delighting audiences as a writer, director, actor and comedian. From The Producers and Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein, his unique talents have left an indelible mark on film, television and theatre. To celebrate Mel, we're going to revisit some of the best moments from his wonderful appearance on Ruthie's Table 4, back in 2023 - one of my favourite ever episodes. We talk about the food of his childhood in Brooklyn, keeping carp in the bathtub, eating in the army, his friendship with Cary Grant, his uncanny impression of a cat, and many more memories from one of the greatest storytellers of our time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E36
June 29 · 35 min
Graham Norton
To be a truly great host, as Graham Norton is every week on his television sofa, you have to understand and genuinely like people. It's the same for me at the River Café. There's no such thing as a difficult customer. Everybody has a story, and every table is a world. Usually it's Graham asking the questions, but today, he's answering mine—about his early years in an American commune, his time working in restaurants, cooking, writing, and the art of hosting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E35
June 22 · 31 min
Giulio Bertelli, Filmmaker
Last September, at the Venice Film Festival, I went to see Agon — a radical and powerful film. Afterwards, I immediately changed my schedule to attend a dinner for its director, Giulio Bertelli. Today, Giulio and I are back together in Hammersmith to discuss his filmmaking, the food of his childhood in Milan, his time as a professional sailor, the history of food and seafaring, and the company he has built as he looks to food's future. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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S5 · E34
June 15 · 47 min
Piers Morgan, Broadcaster
Everyone knows Piers Morgan as a journalist, editor, and fearless interviewer. But I also know him as someone who loves food and can describe in detail what makes a great restaurant. Today, we're here together to talk about growing up in his family's country pub, the postcard he cherishes from his mother, drinks with Bill Clinton, dining with Tom Hanks, and seeing the glass half full. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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June 11 · 32 min
Bonus: Ruth Porat - “If We Can, We Must.”
Ruth Porat - President and Chief Investment Officer of Google and Alphabet - discusses the social responsibilities that come with technological advancement and how AI must be used to tackle society’s most intractable problems. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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