Notes to Knives

When he was just a kid, Radish & Rye co-owner and Executive Chef Dru Ruebush commandeered his little sister’s Easy-Bake Oven to make brownies. A New Mexico native, Ruebush grew up visiting his grandfather’s farm in Deming, and someplace between that, the brownies and something intangible, he was pulled toward the culinary arts—though that first foray into food hardly signifies a linear path.

Sure, the “farm inspired cuisine” of Radish & Rye (505 Cerrillos Road, 505-930-5325) might seem like it would be the result of a life spent solely devoted to food, but Ruebush’s journey has been anything but simple: From New York foodservice jobs for which he was eminently unqualified to singing inside the vaulted ceilings of European cathedrals, Ruebush has performed, cooked or served his way across the years. And now, as his upscale restaurant/whiskey bar navigates the pandemic as one of Santa Fe’s most popular eateries, we sat down with Ruebush to find out how he made his way here.

Ruebush stands tall and is covered in tattoos: “505” on one hand; “NO BRAKES” on his wrist; “ROCK HARD” across his knuckles. There are others. And while this is typical for a kitchen worker, being cut isn’t; Ruebush regularly works out with a mace (yes, like the medieval weapon) and is wearing gym clothes when we meet. His shirt reads “NO BULL” as he does his typical Tuesday afternoon paperwork for the restaurant, and it’s clear—this man is serious about his habits.

“Number one is myself,” Ruebush says of his priorities. “I meditate and I have a strong relationship with God. You have to fill your own cup before you have anything to offer the world. Once you fill your own cup and it starts running over, you can share that with the world.”

It’s not selfishness that drives this ethos, it’s simply knowing he can’t help others if he’s not taking care of himself. Still, he’s not without a sense of humor.

“Anyone in the restaurant, from 18 to older than me,” he says, “I can beat anyone up those stairs. Guaranteed.”

Which is saying something—Ruebush is in his 50s and, in another atypical move, didn’t make the transition to professional cooking until he was in his 40s—prior to that, he dreamed of becoming an opera singer.

In his teens he played trombone in his high school band and sang in church, but Ruebush didn’t sing seriously until joining his first choir when he was 22. He fell in love so deeply that he later attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces to study voice, and his choir group traveled to Europe for special performances in cathedrals.

“If I had pursued my operatic career with everything I had,” he tells SFR, “I’d be singing all over the world. I could have been a superstar.”

When he graduated college at 28, Ruebush went to work for his father as a real estate appraiser. And while it wasn’t his dream job, he says, “I got to spend time with my dad, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.” Still, he paused the real estate work at 30 to chase down his operatic dreams in New York City, lying his way into a serving job.

“I didn’t even know what a ramekin was,” he notes, adding that he picked up service know-how and practiced his knife work during slow times. And even though he was still refining his opera chops, the restaurant seed was planted.

Meanwhile, a voice teacher suggested Ruebush take acting lessons to aid his operatic performances. Turns out, he liked acting even more and, in 2002, moved to Silver City to try and open the Sol Center for Performing Arts nonprofit theater company. By 2007, following extensive renovations, the company still hadn’t opened its doors. It never would.

Ruebush sold the theater in ‘07 and moved to Albuquerque, where he was hired at the Nob Hill Bar+Grill by his now-wife and Radish & Rye partner, Camille Bremer. By 2012, she had convinced him to move to Santa Fe, where the pair would work in local foodservice—all the while preparing to open a space of their own.

That space is Radish & Rye, a restaurant that has become a bit of a beloved institution since it opened in 2015. You’ll find an almost-daunting bourbon list at the restaurant, a wide gamut of signature cocktails and a concise food menu featuring hits like the grilled pork chop with yellow corn polenta and pickled fennel ($36) or a pan-seared fish with a salad of tomato and cucumber, herbed rice and lemon beurre blanc ($32; when there’s salmon, it’s among the best served anyplace). Point being, Ruebush has found a way to fill others’ cups and bellies, and you’ll find him cooking there most days.

Still, he says of his opera days, “I miss it a lot. There are moments. I find it hard to go. It’s quite painful.”

And while the reminder of old dreams can sting, there’s no need to worry on his behalf.

“There’s nothing I find more enjoyable than cooking,” Ruebush says.