PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Even before River Twice awakens your palette with one of its locally sourced dishes, the restaurant hits your senses elsewhere: in the ears.
“[It’s] loud,” chef and co-owner Randy Rucker said of his 1,000-square-foot restaurant on the corner of East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street.
When diners walk through River Twice’s wooden door, they’re greeted by its playlist.
“There’s often not a night that goes by when someone’s like, ‘Hey, can you turn [the music] down?’” he chuckled. “I’m just like, ‘Oh, the landlord controls the volume.’”
Jam bands, bluegrass, jazz, hip-hop — Rucker’s tastes run the gamut.
“Guests come in, they enjoy their dinner, and then they’ll come up to [me] and say, ‘Man, this meal was great, but your playlist was incredible!’”
When some customers return, they even bring Rucker stickers of bands he has played. He proudly displays the collection on the stainless steel hood vent above the stove behind the chef counter.
“It’s kind of a little community within a community here, which is cool,” said Rucker.
With River Twice among a half-dozen restaurants surrounding the prime real estate of East Passyunk’s centrally located Singing Fountain plaza — and another 60-plus eateries filling the avenue’s primary mile-long artery — competition is a real thing.
That’s why — like River Twice’s ever-changing (sometimes daily) modern American four-course tasting menu — Rucker puts so much thought into the restaurant’s vibe and atmosphere.
“Our goal is to provide world-class cuisine, hospitality, and wine and beverage with a casual atmosphere,” he said.
A Houston native, 44-year-old Rucker has been cooking in kitchens from California to Martha’s Vineyard for the last two and a half decades. Earlier this year, he earned his second James Beard Award nomination.
“There are no white tablecloths,” he said of River Twice, which opened in 2019. “The staff is very knowledgeable and relaxed with their jobs. We try to keep it cool, calm and collected — and really funky.”
Collaboration is another way Rucker tries to differentiate his offerings. For the third summer in a row, he’s invited chefs from around the city and the rest of the country to participate in River Twice’s Christmas in July event. This year’s series runs from Monday, July 15 through Friday, July 19.
Each night, Rucker pairs with different guest chefs to create a unique, one-off tasting menu.
“We were originally going to do it in December [2021] and call it Chef-tivus,” a nod to one of the hit episodes from the 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld.” The COVID-19 pandemic had other plans, though, when the Omicron variant forced restaurants in Philadelphia that winter to shut down. There would be no Chef-tivus.
But Rucker didn’t want the idea to die. He was bullish on joining forces with peers and friends to bring inspiration to the kitchen. “Once we reopened again, we wanted to continue the concept, so we decided to do it in the summertime.”
From branding physical menus with a holiday design to decorating River Twice with pine needles, string lights, menorahs, and cardboard boxes covered in wrapping paper, Rucker goes all out.
“It’s a lot of work on our end,” said Rucker, “from the ordering, purchasing, making sure [the guest chefs] have all the ingredients they need, making sure they have the equipment they need, making sure the menus are lined up.”
He also says, “It’s a good [expletive] time.”
River Twice’s 2024 Christmas in July roster features two out-of-town chefs: Michelin star-winner Zachary Engel from Galit in Chicago (July 15), and James Beard semifinalist Kevin Tien from Moon Rabbit in Washington, D.C. (July 17).
The other three nights, Rucker will showcase local chefs: the Fiore Fine Foods tandem Justine MacNeil and Ed Crochet (July 16), Pietramala’s Ian Graye (July 18), and StudioKitchen’s Shola Olunloyo (July 19).
While Rucker admits that he selfishly gets a lot out of Christmas in July on both a personal and professional level, he believes there’s a benefit for Philadelphia’s dining scene, too. Through collaboration, chefs gain new ideas and techniques. Innovation keeps things fresh.
“I think Philadelphia is at the verge of being a global hotspot — a top five city in the country,” Rucker said, “but I think we're just starting to get there.”
Ultimately, he hopes River Twice’s customers receive the most fulfilling gift of all.
“Christmas in July is about doing something new, something exciting, exposing people to something new and giving [them] the opportunity to taste food that they might not ever get a chance to taste.
“It’s kind of like a Phish or Grateful Dead show, where once those notes are played, it’s out there for everyone to enjoy. But it probably won’t be played again, or at least the same way, for a long time.”