Ruth Rogers on finding comfort in the face of grief, creating an iconic house, and saying no to Bob Dylan

<p>For Ruth Rogers, home is at the very heart of everything. Her legendary London restaurant, the&nbsp;River Cafe,&nbsp;is founded on community, friendship and home cooking. Her iconic house in Chelsea, which she co-created with her architect husband, Richard Rogers, has been the backdrop to family life for forty years and has influenced a generation of homeowners to live with light and space. Ruthie&nbsp;invited me in&nbsp;to discuss her extraordinary life through the lens of the homes she has lived in. She describes with great poignancy how her house provides her with comfort following Richard’s death. She talks about growing up in the Borscht Belt near New York, and a chance encounter with Bob Dylan in Woodstock. Having personally co-founded a business in an industry I knew nothing about, I can relate to Ruthie’s inspiring story of starting the River&nbsp;Cafe&nbsp;with no restaurant experience and making things up as she went along. She tells me about how the restaurant has become a home from home, and why it’s been a breeding ground for some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, April Bloomfield and Allegra McEvedy. She talks about the influences behind her Chelsea home, from the Maison de Verre in Paris to the Italian piazzas of&nbsp;Pienza and Montepulciano, and why a rather special set of coloured pencils is one of the first things she would save in a house fire.&nbsp;</p><br><p>This conversation was recorded in person at Ruth Rogers’ home in Chelsea, London.&nbsp;</p><br><p>For more on Ruth Rogers:</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Obf_DhgF8uo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Watch our film at the home of Ruth and Richard Rogers</a>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Visit the River Café</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Listen to Ruth’s podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ruthies-table-4/id1585413971?utm_source=Klaviyo&amp;utm_medium=campaign&amp;_kx=56A-GwONPVfzPpl3WMxPPnOJ_dE9