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Former River Cafe chefs Jamie Oliver, Theo Randall and Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall paid tribute to the restaurant's co-founder
Rose Gray, who died recently at the age of 71 following a long battle
with cancer.
Gray, who opened the restaurant with business partner Ruth
Rogers(both pictured left), in 1988, was often credited with changing
the way British people ate with her family-oriented model of dining,
focusing on simple Italian cooking in one of the first open-plan
kitchens.
Theo Randall, who worked at the River Cafe for 17 years before
opening his own restaurant at the InterContinental hotel on London's
Park Lane, described Gray as 'enthusiastic, energetic, so incredibly
generous and passionate'.
In his tribute in The Guardian, Fearnley-Whittingstall wrote:
"When it came to encouraging and teaching her cooks, Rose always
called it how she saw it (or tasted it), but she was also unfailingly
generous with her time and her praise. She wanted us to enjoy our
cooking as much as our River Cafe guests, and once she felt we'd
broken the back of the shift she'd open a bottle of Prosecco and pour
everyone a glass.
In January, Gray and Rogers received MBEs in the New Years Honours
List in recognition of their work in the hospitality industry. |
