One of the questions I’m often asked is where and when did you meet Sir Jony Ive, the person whose designs changed the world? We met at the White House at a spectacular state dinner when Barack Obama was president and hope was in the air. It was the beginning of one of the most important friendships I have. 

Jony’s designs for Apple with Steve Jobs transformed the way we live. On my wrist is the Apple Watch, counting my steps and checking my heartbeat. Today, my friend is not 5,000 miles away but here in The River Cafe next to me, as close as can be.

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A few months ago, my friend David Chipperfield, the Pritzker and Stirling Prize-winning architect, asked me to support the work his foundation is doing on the food markets in Galicia. So here I am, in north-west Spain, to talk with him in front of an audience for a special live event.

David's introduction to Galicia was 33 years ago on a visit to Corrubedo, a small seaside village, where he and his wife Evelyn created a home. Now they have a small bar in the middle of the village. David is as passionate about Galicia's farm-to-table culture as he is about its people. For him, it's all part of the same conversation.  Conversation that I am so excited and grateful to be having here with him in Casa Ria.

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In 2018, the River Cafe opened a second restaurant at the Frieze Art Fair in Regent’s Park. It was only for a few days and not something we would think of doing, but we said yes for three reasons. Because art is food and food is art. Because Frieze is the greatest art fair in the world. And most of all, because of our friendship and deep admiration for the founders, Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover. Friends of Amanda will tell you she is curious about the world and the people around her. She says that art is like cooking, making something incredible out of basic ingredients. Today, I'm the one who will be curious about Amanda as we talk about food and memories, artists and chefs, and much more.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In this bonus episode, writer-director Rian Johnson tells Ruthie about the time he infused ice cream with tobacco, as well as debating the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. 

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 My friend Glenn Close brought Rian Johnson to the River Cafe when they were filming Wake Up Dead Man, the third Knives Out movie. For the rest of the summer, he was what we call a regular.

Yesterday, sending me photos of her new grandson, these were Glenn’s words: ‘Working with Rian is the highlight of my career. He wrote a great script, cast an amazing stable of actors and set us on a sublime adventure together. Rian is a master storyteller who makes work both serious and wildly fun. I am honoured to call him a friend’.

In today’s episode, Rian and I are here at the River Cafe to talk about family and friends, movies and food, his father's influence on his career, and his earliest film memory: being put in the car to see Star Wars, aged five. It's going to be serious and, hopefully, wildly fun.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In this bonus episode, record-setting ocean rower Angus Collins talks about salsa verde, the emotional toll after completing a crossing, and the food he looks forward to most when stepping back on dry land.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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Angus Collins has been hailed as the greatest ocean rower of our time, setting records for the fastest and youngest four man crossing of any ocean. He's rowed across the Atlantic not once, but twice, and faster than anyone before him. And he's not finished yet. In a few months, Angus is aiming to be the first to row solo and unsupported around Great Britain. But today he isn't going anywhere. He's here at the River Cafe to talk about endurance, motivation, mental health, his love for the sea, and the food which sustains him there. He's my friend. I'm excited. Let's explore.

Find out more about Angus' charity work at www.gbodyssey.com

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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In this bonus episode of Ruthie's Table 4, BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino discusses pasta and the diversity of Italian food from different regions.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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 What I know about Luca Guadagnino is, of course, the films he's made. But what I know from Luca is how passionate he is about food. Friends tell me Luca has three kitchens at his home in Piemonte, including one elaborately equipped for pastries, and a special room for keeping vinegar and dried herbs from his garden. 

Food not only plays a strong role in his home life, but an important role in his films, conveying sensuous desire and transformation. We're here today, in the one kitchen I have in my home, to talk about food, memories, film and family. A beginning to a new friendship, one cook to another.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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Whenever I'm with Bella Freud, which isn't often enough, I always wish I could see more of her. Bella and I share the same social values and beliefs, and we pursued careers which are both fleeting but lasting: She is in fashion, and I'm in food. A meal is a moment, and an outfit changes daily.  In our early years, Bella's father, Lucian Freud, came almost every day to The River Cafe. When with Bella, we were told never to interrupt, as this was their precious time. Now when Bella comes with her friends, I always wish I could whisk her away and have her all to myself.  Today, on Table 4, I finally do.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.

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