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 they introduced Michael’s to midtown Manhattan. 

Today, they are with me in London, bringing their warmth and kindness to Table 4. 

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Me+Em

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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 families, the world we live in and wonderful memories. 

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Me+Em

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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. This is what my friend Scott and I do every day, and this is what we will talk about today. A deep connection, indeed.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Me+Em

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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 was meant to be a half hour conversation stretched to an hour. His assistant, who joined us, said in 20 years of interviews, she had never heard many of the stories he told.

That’s what food does for memories - and what our podcast is all about.

Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Me+Em.

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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 Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler. 

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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. 

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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 and anywhere else you get your podcasts. 

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

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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 in partnership with Moncler. 

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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.

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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 Democratic Party in the early days of her political career, her memories of childhood meals in Baltimore, and her love of everything chocolate. 

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

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