Ruthie's Table 4

When Michael McCarty walks into The River Cafe, he immediately fills the room with his warmth and kindness. Restaurants are, of course, what he knows best. He and his wife Kim opened Michael’s in Santa Monica in 1979, bringing Californian cuisine to the world; artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes and peaches, grown in the sun and eaten under the sun. Ten years later, California came to New York when th...

When Rose and I opened the River Café in 1987, we were credited for bringing open kitchens, farm-sourced ingredients, and women chefs, to restaurants. We would always say ‘Alice Waters did it first. Chef, author, food activist, founder of Chez Panisse and Edible Schoolyard, Alice is a culinary icon and a hero.  She is also my close friend. Today, we are here to talk about our restaurants, our fami...

The connections between Scott Rothkopf, Director of New York’s Whitney Museum, and I run deep. When Rose and I wrote the first River Cafe Cookbook in 1994, Scott’s husband, Jonathan Burnham, helped us with our introduction. Museums and restaurants are about connecting art and people. They welcome people into a space and create something beautiful to see, or cook something delicious for them to eat...

When Elton John agrees to do a podcast, you go to wherever he is. So a few weeks ago, I travelled to Elton and David Furnish’s beautiful home in Berkshire. We sat around his wooden dining table, tried to think of songs with lyrics of food (‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘Sugar Sugar’), talked about shelling peas with his grandmother, the first meal he and David shared (at the same table) and much more. What wa...

The world knows Kristin Scott Thomas as an actress, starring in films such as The English Patient, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and most recently, playing Diana Tarverner in Slow Horses. Having lived in Paris for decades, Kristin is passionate about French cuisine and culture, and today at The River Cafe we speak about how food, France, and family have all played a role in her journey. Ruthie's Ta...

We return with our guest this week, former Prime Minister Tony Blair. In the second episode of the new series, Tony Blair reminisces about food in politics, from the 'memorable’ meals he made his children at Chequers to dining with Heads of State, including the late Queen Elizabeth II.  Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we had our first guest of the new series, award-winning director Guillermo Del Toro, on the podcast. When he came to The River Cafe, he shared his deep knowledge of tequila and his passion for making his own. Today we're sharing with you what he taught us, giving you a taste of his hometown and the tequila region, Jalisco.  You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify a...

Our first guest in the new series is film director Guillermo Del Toro. Guillermo has taken us into his world, often surreal, mystical, and sometimes dark, through his hugely successful films. But today, he joins us in The River Cafe to talk about the foods of his childhood in Mexico, the foods in his movies, and how food is often used to build trust between his characters. Ruthie's Table 4, made i...

We are days away from the new season of Ruthie's Table 4, which begins on Tuesday 22nd October! Today, we are giving you a preview of who you can expect to hear from in the coming weeks.  Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have just one week until the new series of Ruthie’s Table 4 starts on the 22nd October! And in just 21 days, the U.S. Presidental election will be underway. This week we are revisiting an episode from Series 2 with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  Considered the most powerful woman in American political history, she recalls how her five children would help her prepare dinners for the...

We have just one week until the new series of Ruthie’s Table 4 starts on the 22nd October! And in just 21 days, the U.S. Presidental election will be underway. This week we are revisiting an episode from Series 2 with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Considered the most powerful woman in American political history, she recalls how her five children would help her prepare dinners for the D...

On 22 October the new series of Ruthie's Table 4 returns! In this episode from series two, Steve McQueen talks beautifully about his family, ethical values and the impact of food in his life and work. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the the fourth series of Ruthie's Table 4 returning on the 22nd October, we are visiting the archives and today, we hear from our guest - Emily Blunt. Emily gives us the recipe for the roast chicken worthy of a marriage proposal, reveals why her favourite pasta dish is cacio e pepe, and how she ate Burger King every night before performing on stage with Dame Judi Dench.  Ruthie's Table 4,...

Three weeks from today, on 22nd October Ruthie’s Table 4, Season 4 of will begin. This week we are replaying one of our favourite episodes - Dame Judi Dench which we recorded in January of 2023.  Listen to her recite from memory a childhood poem, recall trying to impress an agent with her cooking, and describe how she cooked a raw sausage on stage for Norman Rodway.  See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

In this week's episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're delving into the archives again, ahead of our return for series 4 in October.  This time, we're revisiting our time with fashion model, actor and political activist, Adwoa Aboah.  Adwoa's parents have been part of the River Cafe family since we opened 37 years ago. Five years later Adwoa was born, and was soon sat in the River Cafe as a child, eati...

This week on Ruthie's Table 4, we're revisiting our time with actor, filmmaker, writer and comedian, Mel Brooks. Mel makes the world laugh, but funny isn't the word he'd choose for himself. That word, would be hungry.   Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Ruthie's Table 4, we're going back to the archives to relive a memorable conversation with Oscar-winning actress, and successful entrepreneur, Gwyneth Paltrow.  Two friends, talking about food, family and love.    Ruthie’s Table 4 is made in partnership with Moncler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Ruthie's Table 4, we're delving into the archives to revisit one of our favourite guests, David Beckham. David featured in two episodes all the way back in season one. We could listen to him speak of his love for food and family forever, so now we've compiled them both into a special extended episode. Stories of Madrid, Milan, memories from his childhood. We invite you to share some m...

In our second ‘Best Of,’ and final episode for this season, we’re revisiting some memorable conversations with Linda Evangelista, Eric Ripert, Stephen Fry, Gary Lineker, and Laura Dern—it’s been a great series.   Please remember to keep sending your suggestions for Season 4.   ruthiestable4@gmail.com Back in October. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forty-three episodes later, Ruthie’s Table 4 is taking a break before starting Season 4 in October.  Well, not really a break, as over the next two weeks you will have ‘Best Of’ compilations from Season 3, followed by some of our favourite episodes from all the series.  Today we feature excerpts from Sarah Jessica Parker, Guy Ritchie, Wyclef Jean, Carey Mulligan and Tom Hollander. An immeasurable...

A few months ago in The River Cafe, after talking about raising children in a tumultuous world, the movies we've been watching, and above all, where and what we've been eating, Keira Knightley, James Righton and I vowed to do an episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 together. Schedules, families, work and travel got in the way until finally we reunited to talk about their many worlds—connected by their love...

In the past weeks I have been listening to Griffin Dunne’s interviews, watching his films, and most of all, reading his beautiful new memoir, ‘The Friday Afternoon Club,’ with stories about growing up in a family full of storytellers. Cooking is telling a story, eating together is telling a story, going to a food market in Naples, is telling a story. When Griffin told his brother Alex he was going...

Have you ever heard a recipe rapped by one of the world’s greatest musicians? You will on this week’s episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 with her guest Wyclef Jean. Wyclef emigrated age nine from Haiti to the Brooklyn projects, played fourteen instruments by the time he was thirteen, won three Grammys, speaks seven languages, and was asked to run for President at least two times. After the recipe rap, Wy...

When I’m asked why I love Mexico, the answer is the culture, cities, food, the seas, the mountains, and the history. But what I really love most are the people, and Frida Escobedo is one of those people. A prominent architect in today’s world, Frida is reimagining the contemporary and modern galleries at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the first woman architect ever to be appointed to do so...

Every year must be an anniversary for someone like Maria Sharapova, who hit her first tennis ball at the age of four, was spotted by Martina Navratilova age six, and became one of only ten women in history to win a career Grand Slam when she was 25. But this year is especially special. Maria is celebrating 20 years since winning against Serena Williams on Centre Court, becoming, at just 17, Wimble...