Chef Emily Roux in Caractère, Michelin Stars and Roux Legacy

It’s a very cold December night in London, but Caractère, a restaurant with one Michelin star in Notting Hill, is slowly filling up with guests. Reservations are sought after, not just because of Caractère’s popularity, but because chef and owner Emily Roux is collaborating on a special holiday menu with her father, Michel Roux Jr., one of London’s most famous culinary figures.

“We’re often asked at Christmas time, ‘How does the Roux family do Christmas?'” Emily, 35, told the Observer, a few weeks into January. “Many people were interested, so we created our small Christmas menu. The first year we did it, it was over four nights, and the demand was ridiculous. The next year, it was even more successful. This year, we extended it to January.”

The allure of the Roux family itself contributes to the curiosity of visitors. Michel closed the influential Le Gavroche in 2024, which he had owned since 1991 after taking it over from his equally famous father, Albert Roux, and uncle, Michel Roux. Emily grew up in a restaurant and spent hours peeling potatoes and chopping vegetables in its kitchen from a young age. He and his dad now collaborate a few times each year, often creating a special Father’s Day menu at Caractère. The Christmas event is an opportunity for regulars and newcomers to explore the Roux family heritage.

“Opening Caractère was a big decision [creating] mine,” said Emily, “But we both get along very well.” He adds, “I’m an only child, so we’ve always been a tight little family.”

Emily was immersed in food and cooking from a young age. He grew up mainly in London, although his family spent time in France. Both his father and grandfather are well known in the culinary world; Michel Jr. he was one of the UK’s first celebrity chefs. When he became a judge on the BBC MasterChef: The Professionals in 2008, he began to be recognized on the street. “Things have changed a lot, but back then, there was no one in sight except Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay,” says Emily. “It was a very important moment.”

Although there was no pressure from her family, Emily knew by the time she was 12 or 13 that she wanted to pursue a career in the culinary industry. He says: “I started to feel at home in the kitchen around that age, and school was getting harder, sitting behind a desk focusing on something I didn’t think would help me. “The whole school thing, academics and writing just wasn’t for me. But I felt at home in the group and in the army and in the kitchen. They became brothers and sisters.”

Instead of continuing her training in London, Emily decided to enroll in a cooking school in France. His French surname, Roux, is common there, despite such respect in the London food scene. He studied at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon for three years, where he lived his best life “absolutely empty.”

He says: “I wanted to do everything myself. “I didn’t want to judge or have someone say, ‘Oh, that’s Michel Roux’s daughter.’ I was lucky because I spoke French, so the opportunity was there.”

Instead of returning to London, Emily went to Monaco at the age of 20, accepting a job at Alain Ducasse’s three-star Michelin Le Louis XV. It was in the kitchen that she met Diego Ferrari, who is now her husband and the owner and chef at Caractère. The couple later moved to Paris, where Emily spent time at Le 39V and Akrame. After three years in Paris, the couple decided they wanted to return to London. Ferrari took the opportunity to become executive chef at Le Gavroche, and while there, the couple began planning their own restaurant.

“I didn’t think I had a real idea about it physically, although we didn’t want something too big or too small,” Emily said. “It was about the vibe. We didn’t want something too fancy. I wanted the guests to feel comfortable and at home, to come more than once a year. To have a friendly and caring staff. And, really, that’s something I feel we’ve achieved.”

Caractère opened its doors in a light-filled corner location in Notting Hill in 2018. Since then, tons of busy restaurants have appeared on the nearby streets. “We picked the right place,” Emily commented. “You have everything you want here now. As a tourist who wants to enjoy food, you can stay in Notting Hill for three days and live your best life.”

Each year, the Caractère itself has evolved. Both Emily, who is currently in charge of pastries, and Ferrari, who is in charge of desserts, want to continue to improve their dishes and their overall service. Covid-19 was an obstacle, but it also helped ease their way. Instead of serving lunch and dinner every day, they now focus more on dinner.

“Because there were so many smaller covers, we were able to pay more attention to detail and raise our game when it came to the kitchen,” says Emily. “And we’re a small crew, so we’re a tight unit. A lot of good things came out of that later.” While the financial situation during Covid was “horrible” and stressful, Emily admits that it “probably helped us a lot.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is the way Caractère presents its menu. Instead of being divided into categories such as “starters” and “mains,” the à la carte menu displays its offerings with vague descriptions: “subtle,” “soft,” “sturdy.” Guests can order individually or build a five-course tasting menu with a dish from each description (the latter costs £150 per person).

“That idea fits the name of the restaurant and who we are,” Emily said. “We have a character. We like to be bold and different. The starter, the main course, the dessert is good, but the food has a character. Can our characters be united in this special food? So it’s delicious, but there is a meaning behind it and a thought behind it. We have that in mind as we create the dishes.”

New dishes come and go based on the season, and both chefs often collaborate alongside the team. Some never see the light of day, but others appear in mere hours. The Balfegó bluefin tuna dish on the current menu, served with radish, yuzu and chili, was an instant yes from everyone in the kitchen. “It looked amazing and tasted amazing,” Emily recalls. “That happens, but often we have to change something or fix things.” A few dishes have become signatures, most notably the cacio e pepe made with celeriac instead of pasta noodles. It honors Ferrari’s Italian heritage, and Emily’s personal love of pasta.

“My mother-in-law makes an amazing traditional cacio e pepe with homemade pasta, and I love it,” she says. “I said to Diego, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be amazing to have my favorite meal, but your family, together in this restaurant?'” Ferrari worried that it wouldn’t be sophisticated enough for Caractère. They tried a few options, including one with potato noodles, but couldn’t come up with anything that seemed reasonably good and indulgent.

“Then we tried celeriac,” said Emily. “It’s not just that it’s kind of the same color as the pasta, [but] cooking it al dente is actually quite good. The taste of celeriac goes very well with cheese and chili. We focus on how to clean it well and use the best ingredients. If you like cheese, you will always order it. It wasn’t meant to last, but we kept it in the end because it speaks to us and the family.”

He adds, of keeping the menu varied, “To be honest, regular people can ask us for anything, and we’ll get it for them. But I’d like to think we’re changing things up in the best way possible and making people discover new things.”

Finally, Caractère shows what Emily and Ferrari enjoy cooking, eating and drinking. They don’t serve oysters, for example, because none of them eat oysters and didn’t know how to best showcase the ingredient. “The whole menu and everything in Caractère is very much up to us, and what we approved we agreed on and liked,” he said. “That’s the beauty of owning your own restaurant. That’s what any young chef who wants to own a restaurant is like: ‘I want to do it for me. I want to do what I want.’

Caractère received its first Michelin star in early 2025. It was a landmark moment for the restaurant, and helped attract an international crowd to its doors. The goal is to find the second star, although Emily doesn’t expect that to come quickly.

“We certainly have a team that is there to make that happen, and we both have the experience to make that happen,” he said. “But I think these things also take time. Diego and I are both ambitious people, and we have a team that wants to follow us on that journey.”

Building a name and a restaurant outside of her family was important to Emily, but she also wants to stay connected to the legacy her grandfather, great-grandfather and father built.

“My family will always be talked about and united because it has changed dramatically in this country and the food in this country,” he said. “As I grow up, I have shoulders to better support what can come with that. When I was growing up, I thank God that I was in France, and I did my own thing. I think I will always get comments because my family, like how did I get here? Was it because of my name, and my father, and my grandfather? Can I really cook? You need broad shoulders to be able to live well, and I live well. It.”

He admits that he pushes himself not because it will add to history, but because he has his own goals. Emily says: “I don’t think my parents would be proud of me if I didn’t have the accolades. “Do I want them? Yes. I want it for myself and my team and my restaurant.”