Ruby Francis, Recipe Tester

Ruby Francis has always lived to eat, and so it was a natural progression that she would find herself in professional kitchens–how else can you get the best midday snacks?

After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Animal and Dairy Science and dabbling in cheesemaking in the PNW, she took off on a year-long trip to travel the world, work on organic farms, and taste as many new flavors as possible. For her formal training, she attended the incredible 12-Week Certificate Course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, where fresh from the cow softly whipped cream was a staple in almost every meal.

Since then she’s spent a summer making tortelloni in Italy, worked as a private chef in Hawaii, and returned home to San Francisco, where she currently works as a pastry cook. Despite working in kitchens all day, Ruby is still a devoted home cook and cookbook enthusiast. Joining the recipe testing team at Leite’s has given her endless inspiration along with a real appreciation for the beauty of a truly good recipe; all of which furthers her enthusiasm in pursuing recipe testing and development professionally. You can find her on Instagram at @rubyfrancis.