Sad Death of River Cafe's Rose Gray

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"A true pioneer of delicious simple cooking"

Rose Gray, co-founder of Hammersmith's most famous restaurant the River Cafe has died after a long battle with cancer.

Rose, who was 71, launched the riverside restaurant with partner Ruth Rogers in 1987. Since then it has built a worldwide reputation as one of the best Italian restaurants in London, and has won a string of awards including a Michelin star. The River Cafe cookbooks have also proved award winning bestsellers.

At new year, Rose and Ruth were awarded MBSs for their service to the hospitality industry.

Tributes to Rose have poured in from a number of famous chefs, led by Jamie Oliver, who worked at the River Cafe early in his career.

He says: "I'm so saddened by the death of Rose. She really was one of life's very, very special, natural, genius chefs; a true pioneer of delicious simple cooking. It was my honour to have worked with her — a really great boss, who gave me some of my fondest cooking memories."

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who joined the cafe as an untrained chef in 1989, wrote a long tribute on his River Cottage blog, which included these words: " I was greatly saddened to hear that Rose Gray died yesterday.

" As well as being a brilliant cook she was a brilliant person. She has given so much to food and to cooking, and to all who have worked with her over the years.

" Working for her and Ruth at the River Café 20 years ago changed the course of my life, and it’s no exaggeration to say that River Cottage simply would not have existed without her influence.

" My thoughts are with her amazing family who loved and supported her so much, and with Ruthie of course, her best friend and inseparable kitchen partner."

Theo Randall, chef at the Intercontinental Hotel, who joined the River Cafe at the age of 21, says: "She was the most brilliant person to work for, very disciplined but also very entertaining. She had a profound knowledge of Italian food, and she was utterly passionate about it.

" She was a very determined woman, and she absolutely refused to compromise on quality. If she thought something wasn't good enough, she sent it straight back. She was such an inspirational person - both her and Ruthie - and working with her was a great honour and a pleasure. I worked at the River Cafe for 15 years and I just loved it, which is why I was there so long. There was such an energy and determination to make things great."

Sam Clark, of Spanish restaurant Moro says: ""The River Cafe was Rose's life and it is a masterpiece. No one in the industry has produced disciples of such a high quality and at the same time been loved to such a degree. The pride Rose had in the River Cafe was matched only by her love for her family."

Rose married her second husband Michael Gray in 1962. The couple had three children – Hester, Lucy and Ossian. She also had a son, Dante, with first husband David MacIlwaine.

Ruth, her friend and business partner of 23 years, says: " She died at home surrounded by her family in Marylebone."

The River Cafe is closed on March 1 as a tribute to Rose.