Introducing Ruth Osbourne - our Director of Hospitality & Chief Sustainability Officer

Bringing a wealth of experience and industry knowledge, Ruth will be working alongside Culinary Director Jason Atherton, to create menus & dining experiences that sit within the Pillar Kitchen philosophy of food; flavourful, healthy, sustainable, and enables individuals to become the most happy, healthy and productive versions of themselves. ⁠

1. What is your background? 

Varied! I studied a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science at Bath University, here in the UK, and have a Masters of International Health (Hons) from Monash University, Melbourne. 

Alongside my academic work, I have been part of the hospitality industry, in some shape or form, since the day after my 18th birthday. That spring, the pool I was a lifeguard at closed for refurbishment, and it was the perfect job market to explore. I have worked in restaurants and bars across many parts of the world - in hotels, on beach bars and on super yachts. I have always had a drive to make sure that the work I do has a positive impact on the people and planet around me. 

In recent years, my love of nature and the environment and my passion for protecting it, has intertwined with my roles in hospitality. I moved from working within management roles in restaurants, to project management for business that seek to highlight the importance of improving our food systems, and harnessing the influence that we as an industry have to communicate with. 

I worked with Blue Hill at Stone Barns running their wasted project in London, and until recently had a restaurant in Stockholm with my business partner that aimed to be entirely circular - creating no waste and using only local, organic produce. We are now focused on developing a project that works between farm and table, hoping to develop the blueprint for the most sustainable and equitable farm and food system possible - one that can be “localised” and recreated globally, to suit the climate, soil and culture and able to work within the logistical opportunities (or barriers) in each region.

Currently I am focused on working on a few projects that I am passionate about - Pillar Wellbeing being one of them.

For Pillar I will use my skills in operations, beverage, food systems and sustainability knowledge, to create a unique restaurant concept that feels and tastes luxurious, precious and unique and is also leaving a great “after taste” in the global sense. 

Pillar Kitchen will always serve food, drinks and experiences that are positive for the people that work with it, the communities in which you find it, and the wider global population of our planetary health. I am excited to combine my perspective with the varied expertise of the wider Pillar team, and I am passionate that we can build something powerful together.

2. What will set the Pillar kitchen apart? 

Many wellness spaces have a food and beverage offer. They often look to ready-to-consume and prepackaged goods, without considering the quality of the produce or packaging, as the food is marketed as being essential to your wellbeing post workout - regularly flavour, provenance and sustainability are not a priority in this space. They also often look at the top line nutritional content of the products, without considering micronutrient, or wider health benefits alongside how they are made, who they are made by, and where they come from.

Pillar kitchen will be unique as it will consider both sides of the coin. The products will be geared towards building strength and energy, recovery and wellness - they will be great for pre and post workout, and for busy days on the go. But alongside that, they will also consider flavour, locality and quality. Anything served under the Pillar Kitchen brand will be good for the body and soul. Nutritious and full of flavour, all our food will also be packaged with consideration and care. It makes no sense to invest so much time, knowledge and energy in creating a space that cares so much for the wellness and enjoyment of the individual, if it does not also care for the wider global community - both the people we live alongside, and the environmental impact our work is having.⁠

It's a big goal but also a very exciting one - making food that feels luxurious and unique, tastes amazing, nourishes our bodies, and that tells a positive story for the future of the food system and our planet. 

3. Can you tell us about the menu?

The debut menu at Pillar Kitchen at Raffles at the OWO, comprises a number of dishes for breakfast and lunch with a few sweet counter treats available all day. 

Protein - animal or plant based - is served as a side and can be added as an addition to your lunch dish, but the dishes stand up in terms of both flavour and nutrition without it as well. It's a delicious, colourful and seasonal journey through the end of summer - autumn season here in England with some Mediterranean produce added. 

The menu will now change in January to mark the seasonal change in both produce and what our bodies need.

From January, the menu will focus on repairing the body after the Christmas season, alongside with providing nutrients essential to gut and brain health to keep our mood up through the darker winter months. Expect to see a lot of Seasonal greens, Spanish avocado and blood orange, ferments, pickles and more.

Come January, we plan to launch a flavourful and healthful beverage menu that will be providing a broad selection of no and low alcohol options, alongside a few standard options - so that whatever your taste, you can enjoy your visit to Pillar Kitchen.

4. What’s your favourite dish on the menu?

Currently, the green gazpacho we serve for lunch! Delicate but packed full of flavour - and it always leaves me feeling like I have fed my cells and wellbeing as well as my stomach once I have enjoyed it.

5. How are our ingredients sourced?

Flavour, quality, locality, seasonality, province. 

These words will guide our menu creation process and our product selection. We will find ways to make each kitchen unique. as every region of the world has its own local produce and innovative farming practices. We will look at the “air miles” behind our products, and also how products are transported to us and the farms that they come from - plus the lives of those farming them. Our responsibility does not only begin once the product is ordered - we sit within a system that we must work together,  to make things more sustainable for everyone across this spectrum.

6. How are our dishes sustainable?

Sustainable is such a broad term and can be defined in a multitude of ways.

To start, we will start by focusing on where we source our food, and how that food is grown / reared. Regenerative farming practises, local farms, no pesticides and well compensated farmers, that have an opportunity to live a happy and healthy life. These are how we can make food at Pillar sustainable and influence the wider food system. 

I want to prove that is absolutely possible. We will also look to be innovative with sustainable packaging options and an advanced food waste and recycling system. 

7. As well as food, what drinks will be on the menu?

Drinks are a great opportunity for us to look at providing fast nutrients with great flavour, to help our guests nourish themselves pre and post workout. We are developing a matcha based energy powder for adding to your water in the gym pre + post workout, to help maximise your workout and recovery. It will be available in both the Pillar Kitchen, and gym spaces.

To help nourish gut health, we will feature both kombucha and jun on the menu - these are a great source of probiotics to help maintain and improve our gut biome from the inside out. Plus, they are very flavourful, and can be given local accents with seasonal herbs and berries. 

Going forward, I hope that seasonal cordials and shrubs will add to the selection and depth of flavour available, allowing us to carry bright summer flavours through the fall and winter without the air miles.

Drinks have the advantage of being a great way to convert potential waste into valuable flavour - with ripened fruits and skins providing acidity, sweetness and earthiness alongside abundant nutritional benefits. We shall of course have an organic supplier of coffee - Workshop at the OWO - and local teas (Camellias Tea House) to sit alongside these cold drinks.

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