In any industry there are certain surnames which demand attention, but in the world of food, few carry more expectation than that of Emily Roux. Daughter of Michel Roux Jr and granddaughter of Albert – both chefs who’ve not just been at the helm of one of the country’s most legendary restaurants but who over the years have helped redefine Britain’s culinary scene – it would have been easy for Emily to dedicate her time to the family’s existing restaurants. Instead, after meeting her now-husband and fellow chef Diego Ferrari, they decided to do their own thing and open Caractère – a modern yet casual restaurant in Notting Hill serving dishes inspired by both Emily’s French and Diego’s Italian heritage.

Born and raised in London, Emily practically grew up in the kitchen at her father’s restaurant Le Gavroche, where she would closely watch the chefs at work. ‘I just always loved the ambience of a kitchen,’ she explains. ‘From when I was about fourteen, I would sit in the corner of my dad’s restaurant peeling mountains of potatoes and I’d just be looking on from the side admiring what all the chefs were doing. That was when I started to realise that cooking was for me and that I wanted to pursue it further.’

Meanwhile, over in Italy, a thirteen-year-old Diego was attending hospitality school and working at a small local trattoria in the evenings and weekends, learning the basics of Italian cookery. Soon after finishing school, he found himself working at the Michelin-starred d’O for Davide Oldani who then sent Diego to Paris to work for Alain Ducasse. By that time, Emily had made her way over to Lyon to study for three years at highly regarded culinary school Institut Paul Bocuse – a time which she looks back at fondly. ‘It was just amazing to be surrounded by people who have the same passion,’ she says. ‘Even in the dorms what was happening food-wise was amazing. Everyone would get together to talk about recipes and there were cookbooks everywhere. I just felt totally at home.’

After finishing college and completing a six-month placement in Paris, Emily was offered a full-time position at Alain Ducasse’s three-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV in Monaco where she first met Diego, who was also working in the kitchen. However, having both started to get restless in Monaco, just a year later they took the decision to move to Paris together, where Diego had been offered a role as sous chef. For three years they both gained further experience working in Michelin-starred kitchens (Diego at Alain Ducasse’s Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice; Emily at Le 39V under Frédéric Vardon and then at Akrame), while starting to dream up plans for Caractère.

Eventually, it was time for them to head to London to begin making these dreams a reality. ‘I think we’d just had enough of Paris by that point,’ explains Emily. ‘After three years in the city there were alarm bells going off in both of our heads saying that it was time to get the ball rolling with our own restaurant.’ While plans for Caractére started to come together, Diego took up the position of head chef at Le Gavroche – an important time for him in more than one sense. ‘At that point I didn’t speak any English at all,’ says Diego. ‘So it was nice to be in a French restaurant where there were quite a few Italians as well. It kind of gave me that middle ground. However, working at Le Gavroche also meant that I got to know all the suppliers and build the connections you need in a high-end restaurant.’