Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray created the Michelin-starred River Cafe in 1987 and wrote their first book, The River Cafe Cookbook, in 1995. It was a game-changing Italian cookery manual and a global bestseller, which they followed with several more bestselling cookbooks. In 2010, shortly before Rose's death, they were appointed MBE. Many of the new generation of renowned chefs, such as April Bloomfield, Samuel and Samantha Clark and Jamie Oliver, began their careers in the kitchens of the River Cafe.