Whether in film, music, books or television, food can be a source of inspiration or integral to the way we work.

In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're talking about the shared ingredients of what we do, with Gayle King, Mark Ronson, Graham Norton, Emerald Fennell – the director of Wuthering Heights, and Patrick Radden Keefe – the author of London Falling.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social.

⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4

TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4

YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]

Credits

Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers

Production Manager: Bella Salini

YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang

Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton

Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson

Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers

Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/

Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've always thought we judge a culture by the way we feed our poor, our sick and our prisoners.

In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're talking about food and politics, in conversation with Jacinda Ardern, documentary filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, CBS conflict producer Erin Lyall, writer and critic Hilton Als, Annie Leibovitz, and Kamala Harris.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social.

⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4

TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4

YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]

Credits

Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers

Production Manager: Bella Salini

YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang

Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton

Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson

Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers

Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/

Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may come as no surprise that I have a special interest in restaurants. The River Café is where I work, where I record this podcast, and where I spend so much of my life.

In this special compilation episode of Ruthie’s Table 4, we’re talking about restaurants—how to run them and why they matter—with stories and memories from Piers Morgan, Jamie Oliver, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, Tracey Emin, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social.

⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4

TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4

YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]

Credits

Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers

Production Manager: Bella Salini

YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang

Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton

Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson

Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers

Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/

Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Childhood kitchens, our parents' cooking—the food we eat when we're young stays with us for life. This special compilation of Ruthie's Table 4 celebrates food and childhood, featuring memories from Kamala Harris, Mayor Sadiq Khan, architect Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode, and join the Ruthie’s Table 4 community on social.

⁠Instagram: instagram.com/ruthiestable4

TikTok: tiktok.com/@ruthiestable4

YouTube: youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

Shop River Café Books and more… www.shoptherivercafe.co.uk

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]

Credits

Presented by Ruthie Rogers: instagram.com/ruthierogers

Production Manager: Bella Salini

YouTube Editor: Andrew Tsang

Producers: Alex Bell & Robbie Hamilton

Editors: Alex Bell and Julia Johnson

Executive Producers: Ruthie Rogers, Zad Rogers

Recorded at: River Café: https://www.rivercafe.co.uk/

Ruthie’s Table 4 is an Atomized Studios production: https://www.atomizedstudios.tv/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a farewell to series 5, I'm joined by Sian Wyn Owen to take you behind the scenes at The River Café during the recent heatwaves this summer—what we cooked and how we served.

And Season 6 is on the way, starting off with the stars of Only Murders in the Building, Steve Martin and Martin Short, in an episode full of laughter, food memories, and banjo playing.

See you in October!

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dorothée Boissier is an interior designer and co-founder of the Gilles & Boissier studio. Together with her husband, Patrick Gilles, she creates exquisite architecture and interiors around the world.

Today, we're at Moncler's beautiful flagship store on the Champs-Élysées, designed by Dorothée and Patrick. We'll talk about Paris, food, their creative partnership, and the art of designing restaurants.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Good food and good clothes should do the same thing: make you feel instantly comfortable, confident, and completely at home.

In this episode Ruthie sits down with Clare Hornby, the visionary entrepreneur founder and CEO of ME+EM. Clare has built the UK's fastest-growing luxury label by mastering "intelligent style" -creating crafted, functional wardrobes for women.

Bound by a shared love for exceptional ingredients in food and fashion, Ruthie and Clare talk about friendship, building a business from scratch, the food memories that shape them, and much much more.

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Ruthie speaks to her brother, screenwriter and author Michael Elias, about his latest novel, Bender's LA.

In the coke-dusted canyons and deal-making rooms of 1970s Los Angeles, writer David Bender sets out to remake his life - romantically, professionally, and spiritually - after his wife walks out in Puerto Vallarta with a single sentence and a suitcase.

Order a copy now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Benders-L-Michael-Elias/dp/B0GWC41TVM

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Zanny Minton Beddoes and I have different professions, and different workplaces. As editor-in-chief of The Economist, hers is in the newsroom mine is the kitchen.

But we have much in common, sharing a message of honesty - me with ingredients, Zanny with words. 
 
And we both have time limits - in the case of this conversation, just 20 minutes which we recorded live onstage at the Google Zeitgeist conference. In this brief time, we explored her work and life through the lens of food.

And what a life it is.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Ab Rogers explains his fascination with wine and why he prefers grapes that have had to fight for their survival.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Ab Rogers is a visionary designer. He is also my stepson.

For over 50 years, we’ve been side by side, taking adventures together. 

Today, we’re together in the River Cafe to share  stories  - memories of his father and my husband Richard Rogers - travels, families, work and food.

We will also talk about five women who inspired the way he cooks, and the creative methods he uses to bring ingredients together, creating some of the most delicious food I’ve eaten in my life.

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Erin Lyall, a conflict producer for CBS News, reveals what it's like to eat with soldiers, how an army feeds itself, and how she personally recovers after the strain of working in a war zone.

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As a conflict producer for CBS News, Erin Lyall has eaten with Ukrainian soldiers on the freezing front line, cooked with families in their homes in Gaza, and shared meals on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq with bullets sounding in the distance.

From these experiences in the field, Erin created Food Under Fire, a unique food blog featuring recipes, anecdotes, and portraits of the people she's met on her journalistic travels.

Today, we're together in the safety of the River Café to talk about how food can bring us together, both in war and in peace.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Graham Norton reveals what he learned from working in restaurants, what he noticed about tricky customers, and why he would recommend the experience to everyone.

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This week marks a very special occasion. My friend, Mel Brooks, is turning 100.

For the best part of a century, he has lit up the world with his warmth and humour, delighting audiences as a writer, director, actor and comedian. From The Producers and Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein, his unique talents have left an indelible mark on film, television and theatre.
To celebrate Mel, we're going to revisit some of the best moments from his wonderful appearance on Ruthie's Table 4, back in 2023 - one of my favourite ever episodes.

We talk about the food of his childhood in Brooklyn, keeping carp in the bathtub, eating in the army, his friendship with Cary Grant, his uncanny impression of a cat, and many more memories from one of the greatest storytellers of our time.

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To be a truly great host, as Graham Norton is every week on his television sofa, you have to understand and genuinely like people. It's the same for me at the River Café. There's no such thing as a difficult customer. Everybody has a story, and every table is a world.

Usually it's Graham asking the questions, but today, he's answering mine—about his early years in an American commune, his time working in restaurants, cooking, writing, and the art of hosting.

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Last September, at the Venice Film Festival, I went to see Agon — a radical and powerful film. Afterwards, I immediately changed my schedule to attend a dinner for its director, Giulio Bertelli.

Today, Giulio and I are back together in Hammersmith to discuss his filmmaking, the food of his childhood in Milan, his time as a professional sailor, the history of food and seafaring, and the company he has built as he looks to food's future.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Everyone knows Piers Morgan as a journalist, editor, and fearless interviewer. But I also know him as someone who loves food and can describe in detail what makes a great restaurant.

Today, we're here together to talk about growing up in his family's country pub, the postcard he cherishes from his mother, drinks with Bill Clinton, dining with Tom Hanks, and seeing the glass half full.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Ruth Porat - President and Chief Investment Officer of Google and Alphabet - discusses the social responsibilities that come with technological advancement and how AI must be used to tackle society’s most intractable problems.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Ruth Porat is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Google and Alphabet. She is also my friend.

Her extraordinary schedule has often kept us thousands of miles apart as she moves across continents, connecting people, ideas, and communities.

But today, we’re together at last - a Ruth and a Ruthie - to talk about the importance of food at Google, her scientific childhood, how her father survived the Holocaust to rebuild his family, and how her grandmother spent her last day showing love through food.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe - the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Consello CEO Declan Kelly discusses his decision to become a vegetarian as a teenager in 1980s Ireland, and how he eats today.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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A few months ago, I met Declan Kelly, founder, Chairman, and CEO of Consello, one of the world’s most influential advisory firms.

 The connection between us was immediate, as I discovered a fascinating person with a fascinating life. Born in rural Ireland, from humble beginnings, he became an important journalist, created an influential communications company and in 2007 and 2008 served as one of the leading advisers to Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.  

Today he advises some of the most influential people who lead powerful institutions, while mentoring a new generation. 

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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The River Café’s Sian Wyn Owen joins Michael and Lindsay Tusk to discuss the menu she has prepared for the day, the seasonal ingredients she is using, and how she organises a lunch service with her team.

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Chef Michael Tusk and his wife and partner, Lindsay Tusk, believe great food is about simplicity, quality ingredients, and happiness.

A few months ago in San Francisco, I saw this for myself at their restaurants - Quince, Cotogna, and wine bar, Verjus.

Today, on a beautiful spring day at the River Café we will talk about creating food what we look for in a restaurant, and much more.

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Patrick Radden Keefe talks about two contrasting food pleasures - hosting and eating alone.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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I’ve sometimes wondered whether writing a book might be a bit like cooking a meal.

I create a menu by choosing the ingredients I’m drawn to. In the same way, today’s guest, Patrick Radden Keefe, creates a book by choosing the people he’s drawn to — most recently in his newly published London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth.

Today, we’re here together to talk about his latest book, his parents’ second dinner, the mise en place of his writing process, and the ingredients of his stories.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Burberry’s Paul Price talks about the restaurants of his past, and his idea to start one in the future.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Paul Price is Burberry’s Chief Product Merchandising Officer.

When I asked his friend, film director Andrew Jarecki about him, he said ‘Paul is a tastemaker and a creator. He has reshaped my perception of what life can be, reimagining legendary fashion brands, most recently Burberry, making them newly relevant.”

Paul and I are together to talk about life in fashion, the school lunches leaving paw prints in restaurants, the joy of throwing parties,  and much more.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Spring is here, which means it’s asparagus season. In this bonus episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we’re joined by The River Cafe executive chefs Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli, to discuss their love of asparagus, and how they like to cook with it.

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Dara Khosrowshahi is known as one of the world’s most influential CEOs. Everyone wants to talk to him about leading a company as huge, and impactful, as Uber.

So do I - but mostly, I want to talk about food: Persian cuisine, memories from his childhood kitchen in Iran, the importance of food when his family fled to America, eating with his father after six years apart, and with his family now.

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Journalists Jorge and Paola Ramos discuss Jorge’s favourite way to welcome Paola home - quesadillas.

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When I was growing up in the sixties, the United States was a tumultuous place. Journalists were heroes, seeking the truth with courage.

So today, when we need them more than ever, it was thrilling to be introduced to two extraordinary journalists: father and daughter, Jorge and Paola Ramos. In their podcast, The Moment, they question, analyse, and report.

We are here together to talk about identity through food, holding power to account and much more.
Heroes indeed.

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Bruce Bozzi discusses the magic of his mother's lasagna.

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A few months ago, I was at Bruce Bozzi's home in Los Angeles. We decided to make a tomato pasta together, and there in the kitchen, we discovered how much we shared. Bruce grew up in an Italian American home, and for many generations, his family co-owned the Palm Restaurant franchise—an American legend.

Now, Bruce and I are together again to talk about grandmothers and great-grandfathers, how growing up with a family restaurant shaped his relationship with his father, and the man he is today.

Preorder Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Former CEO of MTV Networks, Tom Freston, talks about the joys and the value of bartending.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Some weeks ago, I met Tom Freston at a party in London. We immediately started talking—mostly about Unplugged, his brilliant new memoir.

Unplugged is the story of an incredible man who hitchhiked across the Sahara, lived in Kabul, spearheaded the rise of MTV, and even had lunch with Fidel Castro.

Today, here we are: me in London, him in Los Angeles. We'll discuss the adventures from his book—where he's been, what he's learned, and, of course, what he ate along the way.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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A few weeks ago, just hours before the opening of Jamie’s Italian in Leicester Square, Jamie Oliver joined me at The River Cafe to sit, and to talk.

We turned on the microphones and, in true Table 4 fashion, were soon joined by more friends around the table - Gary Lineker, the presenter, podcaster, and former footballer, and Seth Doane, the Senior Foreign Correspondent for CBS News.

Together, we discussed the restaurant industry, the podcast industry, Italian food trips, the joy of cooking for family, and the experience of writing cookbooks.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Tracey discusses how she’s supporting the creative community in her hometown of Margate. This includes the training café A Perfect Place to Grow, for which she donated the building, and TKE Studios, which provides affordable workspaces, free training, and residencies for emerging artists.

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When we first started Ruthie’s Table 4 back in 2021, Tracey Emin was one of the very first people I asked to join me—an artist and a friend I love.

A lot has happened since then, and that’s what we’re talking about today: her new blockbuster exhibition A Second Life, the experience of living with an extreme disease, how it has affected her diet, what she’s feeling, and what she’s doing.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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In this bonus episode of Ruthie’s Table 4, Mayor Sadiq Khan discusses how mayors from all over  the world connect, learn from one another, and fight for their cities.

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Sir Sadiq Khan, the third and longest governing Mayor in London’s history, sees the dinner table as a place of importance. 

Today, he is here with me at The River Café, to share memories and stories about his grandparents, his mother’s cooking during Ramadan, the importance of breaking bread, and how the diversity of London’s restaurants reflect the diversity of our city.

Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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In this bonus excerpt from her conversation with Ashley Baker, Ruthie reflects on the importance of grandparents, and of tradition during the writing of Table 4 at The River Cafe - sharing stories about Great Gerwig, Noah Baumbach and Tom Hollander.

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In this special episode, Ruthie is joined by her friend and journalist Ashley Baker to take us inside the creation of the new book Table 4 at the River Cafe: Conversations About Food and Life. Join us to revisit some of her most memorable, dazzling conversations and learn what inspired David Beckham, Tina Fey, Paul McCartney, and many more to reveal so much about their lives - and love of a good chocolate nemesis. 

Table 4 at the River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life is out now in the US, and available in the UK from 14th May. Find it in all good bookshops, or order online: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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In this bonus episode of Ruthie's Table 4, food writer and dessert connoisseur Aleksandra Crapanzano is joined by executive chef Sian Wynn Owen, to discuss The River Cafe's iconic Chocolate Nemesis.

Preorder Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Aleksandra Crapanzano is a close friend who has written four fantastic books - The London Cookbook, Eat. Cook. L.A., Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes, and most recently Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights. She’s won the James Beard Foundation M.F.K. Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing and a Gourmand World Cookbook Award.

We share so much including a passion for good food, our love for cooking for our families and our love for Paris and for each other.

Preorder Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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In this bonus episode of Ruthie's Table 4, actor Peter Sarsgaard explains the joys of beekeeping, as well as the challenges of protecting his hives from hungry bears.

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 I know Peter Sarsgaard as an incredible actor from films and series such as 'Dopesick', 'Shattered Glass', 'The Batman', and most recently, 'The Bride' - a film made by his wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal.

I also know him as a friend.

Today, he's here at the River Cafe, to talk about childhood memories of eating crawdads in Mississippi, hearing his daughter play Tchaikovsky, growing corn outside his garage, and the importance of performance.

Preorder Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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Mayor Daniel Lurie understands what makes a great city.

This episode was recorded in his office in the City Hall of San Francisco. We're here to talk about the role of food, memories of his grandmother's meatballs, the diversity of San Francisco's restaurants, and why he thinks he has the best job in politics.

Watch this episode, and the rest of the series, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

Preorder Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook

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For over 20 years as the head of Qatar Museums, Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has transformed the nation's artistic landscape through landmark institutions such as The Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar. Her work has profoundly influenced the culture and global identity of the Middle East.

Today, she’s here at The River Cafe to talk about her own vision of museums, her childhood memories of cooking in the desert, the cuisine of her region , and how she views food and art, food and culture, food and family.

Watch this episode, and the rest of the series, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RuthiesTable4Pod

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Executive chefs Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli take us behind the scenes of The River Cafe on Valentine’s Day - how they choose the menus, how to cook their perfect Valentine’s dishes, romantic décor, proposals, and more.

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