Tributes paid to River Café’s Rose Gray

TV chefs today paid tribute to Rose Gray, co-founder of the River Café restaurant in Hammersmith, who has died from cancer aged 71.

Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall both worked at the River Café early in their careers. Oliver described Gray, who set up the Italian restaurant with Ruth Rogers in 1987, as a "pioneer" and a "really great boss".

He said: "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.

"The quality of food and chefs that have left the River Café over the last 20 years speaks for itself and is all credit to the partnership, love and values of Rose Gray and Ruthie Rogers."

Fearnley-Whittingstall said that when Rogers and Gray took him on, untrained, in 1989 the River Café was "the most talked-about restaurant in London". He wrote: "I learned more from Rose than from anyone I have ever cooked with."

Ms Gray was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 but after chemotherapy and surgery had five years in remission. Last year, doctors discovered she had brain tumours and her health deteriorated rapidly.

The River Café was closed today in memory of Ms Gray.