One Day with: Ruth Rogers

ONE DAY WITH | MASTERS & MUSES | CABANA MAGAZINE

Our new series, One Day with, is an insider's look at the daily lives of leading tastemakers. Launching the series, Sophie Goodwin speaks to her friend, Ruth Rogers CBE, owner and co-founder of London landmark, The River Cafe. From her morning routine and the first thing she sees every day, to her most entertaining guests, her newest venture and her enviable superpower, Ruth shares the rules and rituals she lives by - and the lessons she's learnt along the way.

INTERVIEW BY SOPHIE GOODWIN | MASTERS & MUSES | 30 JULY 2024

National Treasure: Ruth Rogers CBE, photographed by David Bailey

I wake up daily at 7.30am. The light floods through my windows; and even if it's not a sunny day I feel filled with brilliance from the moment I open my eyes. My bedroom overlooks a beautiful park in Chelsea, so I am greeted by trees and lots of green.

The bed is bright yellow, and the first thing I see is a painting I grew up with, which belonged to my parents. It’s by Philip Guston and is called Cherries II. It’s like waking up to them. My husband Richard and I used to say it is a mark of pure selfishness to put the work we loved the most in the bedroom. Guston told us he could never understand how Cézanne’s cherries could stay in the bowl. ‘They should fall out’ he said.

Breakfast is an espresso. I drink far too much coffee. The only time I eat breakfast as an exception is Sunday morning when Jeremy King and Caroline Michel bring me croissants and we talk about the week ahead. Saturday is my day for seasonal flowers, long French tulips, peonies, hydrangeas and white roses. The joy of the morning is when one of my children calls me on their way to work.

Working out for me is entirely essential. It's more core floor exercises than jumping and jiggling about. My trainer is called Danny Handstand. I wanted to learn how to do a handstand, and he taught me, so the reference has stuck.

Ruthie photographed with her late husband, the eminent architect Richard Rogers 

I work in The River Cafe every day. My friend Josh Berger gave me a Brompton bike for my birthday years ago, but it sits in our living room as a piece of sculpture rather than a method of transport. It’s bright orange and leans against a column. When I arrive in the morning I change into my chef whites, and we write the menu every day.

Four years ago we created Ruthie’s Table 4. It’s our podcast with my step-son Zad Rogers, CEO of Atomized Production. It is about food and memories, food and family, food and friends, food and the future. Guests read the recipes out loud and then we share our thoughts. We’re finished with Season Three and about to start Season Four.

David Beckham was a highlight. He really knows how to cook, as was Pete Davidson because he had no idea. At 98, Mel Brooks was memorable. Paul McCartney and Michael Caine were highlights, as was Nancy Pelosi, and Vice President Al Gore for his recipe for tomato sauce. And Will Ferrell. I’ve loved them all.

Left to Right: The terrace at The River Cafe © Matthew Donaldson; daily menu prep; River Cafe co-founders Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers; Ruthie at work © David Loftus

Energy is my ‘super power’, and I don't get tired. I’m a big fan of time zones. I’m often on the phone with my brother in Los Angeles and friends in San Francisco, like Jony Ive. Sleeping wise, I never nap during the day. If rest is needed, I take an infrared sauna at KX Gym, followed by a cold plunge. This is more energising than lying in bed.

Latin American is my music of choice from Cuba and Brazil. Mexico is deep in my soul, we return regularly, and I lived there for six months in 2019. It puts me in a really good place, plus no one has any idea what I’m listening to so they can’t judge my choices.

I’m a regular at the hairdresser. Once asked by a journalist what we would like most to learn, Rose (Gray) said her life ambition was to learn to speak Italian. I said I’d like to learn to blow dry my own hair. It hasn’t worked. My mother-in-law once told me to put less herbs on my fish and more cream on my face, so I think of her when I put on a lot of moisturiser as my skin is very dry.

Left to Right: Ruthie and Richard in Italy; The newly opened River Cafe Cafe

We’ve just opened The River Cafe Cafe. It’s an all-day beautiful space, five steps from our restaurant, serving an Italian breakfast you can’t find anywhere else in London, with Cornetti, Ciambella and Crostata from our pastry kitchen and fruits in season. In the afternoon, ice cream coupes in silver terrines with the long stems, and our famous desserts. Sharing plates for lunch and dinner including bruschetta, salted anchovies and vitello tonatto. There's an outside garden and bar with a Damian Hirst on the wall.

Last year the staff threw me a quiz party for my birthday. Questions included the price of tomato pasta in 1987, how many chocolate nemesis have been sold since the cafe opened, and who was the most regular customer at The River Cafe. There are regulars every Monday and Tuesday night and every Sunday lunch, so I named all those but apparently the person who has come most often to eat was me.

I see my children, or friends, or work in the evenings. After Richard's death, my go-to for grief is to be active. Everyone has their own way, this is mine. Being with people I love is my way out of pain. Life is about being kind. Easy to say, but it does make things better.

The River Cafe, London, photographed by Ossie Gray