Raul Rubacava claims “time management” is the key to his success
Ventura local for 45 years, Raul Rubalcava ventured into the business world 17 years ago. He, alongside his brother Issac Rubalcava opened up Two Trees Restaurant & Taps on June 7, 2007. Also a teacher at the time, he realized that, “I wanted to teach and I wanted to do restaurants and this was the profession that would allow me to do both.”
Two Trees, named after the historic Ventura Landmark had been open for 15 years before Rubalcava opened his second business Arts Corner Cafe. The menu at Arts Corner Cafe is filled with omelets, burgers and sandwiches, it’s “a hit” in Ventura according to Yelps 4.4 star average rating.
Rubalcava attended Ventura College before he, “went to the University of La Verne” he then went back and got his “Masters in Spanish Literature at the University of Northridge.” He got his business sense from his dad, who was also an active member in the Ventura business community.
Elijah Burt ‘25 said, “I had him for Spanish 4 native speakers and Spanish 5 NS honors. I had him for two years. I really enjoyed the deep discussions we would have about philosophy, history and culture in his class that helped me to better understand how the world works. I think he is a great teacher and is definitely one of my favorites.”
Two Trees has been closed for the last six months due to smoke damage from its neighbor Clearwoods Dry Cleaning that caught on fire. “It is almost like starting a new business again,” said Rubalcava. Two Trees recently opened back up for a “soft launch” on Aug. 29, 2024. “Once everyone knows what they have to be doing, and we figure out the ordering and all that stuff, we can take a couple days off,” he said. In the meantime, Rubalcava will continue to balance his two restaurants with being a Spanish teacher for Spanish 3P and AP Spanish Literature.
Hannah Von Gunten, ‘27 a student in his period one Spanish 3P class said, “I am having a great time in his class and I feel like I have learned a lot. I also love to eat at Two Trees.”
Rubalcava said, “[It’s all about] time management, you have to know how to manage your time, every hour of the day, you have to manage it right. There is no time for a lot of fun, it is just how it is. However, once you establish your business, and you have good workers you get to back off a little.”
